Waking Holding Dreaming Dying by Lacey Brown

” There is no doubt that history is in the making with her album, “Waking Holding Dreaming Dying,” the name taken from the lyrical content of its songs which includes waking to life, holding difficult realities, the power of dreams, and death.

Sigh. C’est la vie, no? About her music, Brown says:

“I write about things that I connect with personally, whether it's my own story or someone else's. I want people to relate to the songs and know that they are not alone in the world.”

Because she writes about her life and her truth, she offers her listeners something unique, yet familiar. Piercingly honest lyrics like “I was so close to believing a lie…I was so close to believing you” and “Oh can I start over again?…Oh can I be a better friend?” make a bee line for the heart and then soar with graceful wings to the lofty heights that set Brown far, far apart from her contemporaries.

According to Brown herself, her music sounds like “an ice cream sundae.” I would add that this ice cream sundae is made of the most delicate flavors, and is topped with the most exquisite cherry. Here, songwriting is key and it seems the melodies flow organically, even effortlessly, from her angelic vox and gentle strums of her guitar. On some tracks Brown is backed by male and female vocal harmonies, on others, simply the charming blips and bops of keys. Still others boast horn arrangements. Every song is a fragile, gorgeous, aching soundscape; the album as a whole encompassing a range of emotions, much like life itself.

“I hope to always make music no matter what. Music is what helps me know I am alive…”

If there was ever a reason to do something, it’s because your life depends on it, and if there was ever a reason to listen to Lacey Brown, I hope I’ve given you at least one or two.

Lacey Brown’s “Waking Holding Dreaming Dying” is available now for listen and purchase at myspace.com/laceybrown and Sonic Boom.

-Jocelyn Aucoin, Lujo Records

Lacey Brown has been working on her first full length, Waking Holding Dreaming Dying, for what feels like about a thousand years. She's one of those artists whose CD-R somehow finds its way into your hands, and you end up burning 100 copies for friends, putting it on mixtapes, and frequently, saying stupidly fannish things like "Just WAIT till she puts out a record!" She still plays her simple, plaintive songs on an acoustic guitar, but Brown has graduated from singer-songwriter school, using her studio and band to their fullest, employing an army of vocalists and electronic effects. Brown's own drumming deftly meshes with Gary Owen's electronic beats to keep things moving forward. The record oozes love and sincerity, which is a rare thing.

-Joel Hartse, The Stranger, Seattle, WA

“Brown's voice is a treasure. If anyone could sound evocative and innocent at the same time, it is Lacey Brown. Playful but in control, it's Lacey Brown. Bothered but constrained, Lacey Brown again. She has the type of pure, vibrant voice that one never gets tired of hearing”.

-Andy Ingram, Poptek Records

Average Customer Review: 5