Andrew Duncan
Layla Frankel
Postcards From The Moon
Independent
Link: Bandcamp
Nashville—the city where there are musicians on every block. And then there is Layla Frankel, a singer-songwriter who stands outside of the box of genre definitions and trend saturation. You can say she is a little bit country and a little bit. . . well, everything else.
“Dear Jennie” borrows from the emotions of Bruce Hornsby and weaves a powerful story out of her lyrics. It’s a gorgeous display of songcraft. We feel modestly entranced into the Americana-style movement that moves from the strings to the piano to the driving rhythms. That soft-spoken guitar solo towards the end of the song means everything in the moment.
“You Can’t Love Me Like I Loved You” is every bit ‘60s soul as it is coffeeshop crooning. A subtle nod to Ellla Fitzgerald as she wraps herself around R&B balladry that gives enough diversity without compromising the mood of the EP.
Being a part of the Chicago folk scene helped her turn simple numbers into driftwood as they float through your soul. “Josephine” is every bit Carole King as it is Nick Drake. And then like the sun’s light fading, the intimacy of “Without Suffering” is a sobering realization that there is a new dawn awaiting and her drive for a good soul song shines forth, an exclamation point to this EP and a delight when it comes to production value.
Postcards From The Moon is natural in feeling and every bit authentic in its emotional drive to be a modest, if not solid, collection of songs. It’s a perfect launching pad for Frankel’s career as an artist.
Tracklist:
- TLC
- Dear Jennie
- You Can’t Love Me Like I Loved You
- Josephine
- Without Suffering