Lara Taubman - The Gospel of Getting Free (Atomic Sounds/CRS)

The best music transcends such worldly, or should that be journalistic, constructs as genres and sonic labels. It is also written from the heart, reveals something about the artist, and gives the listener something recognizable and relatable to think about. Good music can be entertaining, but great music is informative or contemplative, too. On The Gospel of Getting Free, Lara Taubman ticks all of those boxes and more besides.

It is a brave thing to do, laying out your own life and inner evolution for all to hear, but that is what this latest album does; in fact, this vulnerability and honesty have always been an essential and inescapable part of her music. But it is here that she has reached the peak of her powers regarding her openness and accessibility of matters of the heart and soul. (For now, at least, I’m sure her personal benchmarks are on an ever-upward trajectory.)

Gathering around her all manner of sonic strands, from the Americana sounds and ragged rootsy influences of earlier albums to more deft indie, finessed-folk and even gospel-infused sounds, she lays out ten songs that map out the transformational journey into a new, happier, more content person.

The shimmering indie-folk of “The Siren” seems to express her belief in the power of music to bring joy and respite into people’s lives, “The Assyrian King” wanders some delicate dream-pop pathways, and “The Odyssey” is a spacious, drifting, chiming and charming blend of sounds. And just one look at those titles makes you realize that Taubman’s reference points are as timeless as the sounds she makes, and that she understands that we have been using the song to explore the human condition since the invention of music itself.

As I said at the outset, music can be merely entertainment, and there is nothing wrong with that. However, longevity only comes when music remains relevant, transcends fads and fashion, and speaks to us at whatever age or period of our lives we find ourselves in. I suspect we will be listening to and finding ever-new meanings in Lara Taubman’s music for decades.

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