Laura Gibson received critical acclaim for her works If You Come To Greet Me and Beasts Of Seasons. Because of this she was soon known as a folk girl, which seemed to bother Gibson in recent years. With her third studio album she is taking a serious step to get rid of her folk image. La Grande is an insignificant transit town in the US state of Oregon and the setting for this sober, understated
… record. Gibson grew up in Portland, the capital of Oregon and stays close to her roots with this album. Gibson's vocals are central to the ten melancholic songs. Thanks to excellent musical contributions from members of Calexico, The Decemberists and The Dodos, her voice comes out extra beautifully in songs such as La Grande, Red Moon and The Fire. Besides folk, you can also hear clear jazz and roots influences on La Grande, with which Gibson proves to be more than a folk girl. (BvdV)more
