MAGNET MAGAZINE USA 'London singer/songwriter Ed Laurie evokes the feeling of calm before the storm. With haunting vocals and gentle, Spanish-inflected guitar, Meanwhile In The Park imagines José González and M. Ward in a Guitar Hero showdown. Every cloud has a silver lining, and Laurie's debut is a dark and stormy affair'
SPIN MAGAZINE USA...'Delicate and entrancing, Laurie's gypsy-like tunes also see harrowing lyrical narratives paced at a solemn yet folky canter, plus the inclusion of clarinet, cello, and -- at times -- drums. A magical and transcendent trip to say the least.'
NPR USA
NPR.org, September 19, 2008 - British singer-songwriter Ed Laurie is one of the many musicians who's benefited from the limitless possibilities of Internet exposure. After making his music available on
his MySpace page, Laurie was courted by an iTunes executive who then helped the Londoner with the online release of his seven-song debut,
Meanwhile in the Park.
The album is an exquisite one, showcasing a sparse, brooding elegance similar to artists like Leonard Cohen and Damien Rice. Meanwhile in the Park leads off with its title track, featuring gentle, Spanish-style acoustic guitar, with light drumming and clarinet. The primary focus, though, Meanwhile in the Park is Laurie's intricate plucking and warm vocals.
SOUNDBYTE MAGAZINE '... A relative new kid on the block, Laurie is a rare Internet-buzz success story, owing to his haunting cross-cultural folk sound. Meanwhile In the Park is memorable and sounds very little like its closest comparisons – maybe a less cheeky and more bummed-out Devendra Banhart – but the bottom line is Laurie is a subtle poet, and the quiet arpeggios and smoky vocals are more than the sum of their parts.
FINGERTIPS USA
Wow. Warm and wondrous neo-folk from a young British singer/songwriter. Listen to the stirring tension in the verse--the song is quiet, but with a restless heartbeat--and then how it resolves in that gorgeous chorus with its shy, unexpected melody. Oh my. For me, this is goosebump material, and I don't say that lightly, or very often.
Although he is basically a guy with a guitar, Laurie does not sound like a typical singer/songwriter, both because of his husky baritone, with its air of bygone days about it, and because the guitar he plays is nylon-stringed, like a flamenco guitar, which he plays with a gentle but urgent flow, full of intimations of far-away times and cultures. He plays, also, with an ear for his accompaniment, which is a quiet and knowing mix of acoustic instruments, including a clarinet, which in particular feels both unexpected and ideal.
Laurie claims influences from a variety of musical traditions--born in London, he has extended family in Eastern Europe, Germany, Spain, and Brazil, and grew up listening to classical music. His press material offers comparisons to the likes of Leonard Cohen, Nick Drake, and Jacques Brel, which sounds about right to me.
PLAYMUSIC MAGAZINE UK
'Outstanding - A Modern Classic!'
THE STOOL PIGEON MAGAZINE UK
'A singer songwriter with a similar emotional warmth to legendary troubadours such as Leonard Cohen... a sweet offering'