If you don’t know The Liz O Show yet, she’s a straight-talking, independent singer/songwriter who has built up such a following that it proves that there is room for smarter music in this world. Liz O’s comedic persona and penchant for themed theatricality have earned her a fun-loving fanbase across the U.S.A. She has headlined at countless venues around the Bay Area, including Cafe du Nord, Brick and Mortar Music Hall, and the New Parish. She released her debut album, “Golden Gate 8” in 2013 and has now followed that up with the release of her new album “The Other Side”.
In her artistic expression, Liz O embodies such towering virtues as honesty, independence, and intelligence. She is a woman committed to making art for art’s sake, proudly resisting big time record labels that would undoubtedly censor a voice that needs to be heard in all of its raw beauty. She has fights a battle to preserve the dignity of her art, simply by performing what, and the way she does. And for that, I cannot thank her enough.
Apart from the track “Don’t Give Up” which features a full ensemble, the album finds The Liz O Show mostly accompanying her voice with a simple acoustic guitar or just a piano, as she goes from fast, passionate and playful aggression, to slower, sublime self-revelation. Throughout, she maintains an overwhelming poignancy underscored by the genuine honesty that makes it all matter on a universal level. I can’t put this into any one musical box, but for sure this ain’t no bubble gum pop music, no matter what the jingle-jangle guitar strumming might be saying.
In this album, The Liz O Show offers the world a crystal clear window into the many facets of the human soul, and well beyond. Such an opportunity must not be wasted, considering all the radio junk we’re force-fed daily. On the piano tracks, she reminds me of Tori Amos, on the guitar ones, I hear KT Tunstall, yet all the time I’m thinking of Bjork and those picturesque vocal phrasings. But taking in the whole picture Liz O is none of the above. She is simply The Liz O Show. She’s got a killer voice and she plays her guitar so well that even if you don’t know much about the instrument …you can tell she’s good.
Is she folk? Is she blues? Is she punk? Who knows? She’s just a very forthright singer-songwriter who writes lyrics and tunes no one else would dare to produce in the combination she sets them in. Who else would write quaint songs like “Baby This Precious Moment” or “Persephone’s Lament”? Though I could hear many Americana divas digging their teeth into tracks like “Somebody To Love” and “Down”. I personally find The Liz O Show at her brilliant best on “Christine”, and even more so on “Dear Friend”, “The Labyrinth” and “Inanna”. The warmth of the piano notes seems to compliment the evolving progressions of her voice so much better than anything else does.
Liz O is one of the most relevant indie song writers around. Her songs are powerful, thoughtful, fun and provocative. She demonstrates incredible wisdom, insight and perspective. Hardly has an artist touched me so deeply on every track with such simple music arrangements. She demonstrates remarkable range and sensitivity, and her voice is like an entity unto itself…authoritative and alluring. Different to anything you have heard lately, The Liz O Show is something to behold!
Thank you for such a nice review!! 🙂 🙂 🙂