Masters and Gardeners by Pamela Laws

Born in Texas and raised in San Francisco until age 7, Pamela moved with her parents to Sacramento. Music became a reservoir of meaning -" I dove into it constantly. I was influenced by my parents' record collection- Roberta Flack, Donny Hathaway, Janis Joplin, Kris Kristoferson, Rita Coolidge, and Rickie Lee Jones. In San Francisco my mom had old Dusty Springfield and Peggy Lee records that I listened to day in and day out from two years old." At UC Berkeley Pamela studied English Literature and started writing songs. She sang backing vocals for Counting Crows and was a principal actor in "Mad City", a Warner Brothers picture starring Dustin Hoffman and John Travolta. In the film Pamela played an activist singer and sang a Lou Reed song called "Is Anybody Listening?" set against a beat written by Dr. Dre. After a short stint on Warner Brothers records, Pamela moved to New York where she first worked with Strokes' producer, Gordon Raphael, and then hooked up with GTO and 'Bassy' Bob Brockman who helped her completely realize her rock and urban influenced sound.

masters & gardeners is not only an exploration of music, but of life, loss, destruction, faith in humanity, and love. The album opens with 'Helium', a soulful R&B song with scratching samples, lush harmonies complemented by a lighter than air playful flute creating a sound that as Pamela describes "was really celebrating the spirit of the person who was once good and through circumstances out of their control ended up in trouble." The opening is followed by a soulful, Latin leaning epic pop composition, Paradise that was the product of collaborations with Jeremy Ruzumna who co - wrote Macy Gray's "I Try" and "Still". Mid way through the CD "Head Out" blusters with an alt-rock duet, that features guest artist New York based hardcore soul singer Justice X, singing a positive anthem that Pamela explains... "... is a call for battle against self- hatred. We're much more useful in the world when we're not drowning in self-hatred." The nostalgic roots rock song "California" a stand out track with cool vocal effects, old vinyl static samples, and finger snaps keeping the beat, was written by Pamela after catching Rickie Lee Jones at an open mic night in Hollywood. Pamela recalls, "I was blown away! I started writing 'California' driving on a big empty highway in Los Angeles at night. masters and gardeners softens on a couple of sweet soul and folk rock ballads, including the painfully personal " Room Without You In It." The sharp harmonies grab you while the powerful words dig deep into memories in the verse. "In the hospital I went in to the hall and cried hoping they'd be satisfied with the strong face I left behind in the room without you in it." masters and gardeners is an album to discover again and again

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212.260.7695

www.pamelalaws.com

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