Died of Love

Died of Love

<i>Died of Love</i> finds Amy LaVere tracing around the darker edges of her lovelorn repertoire, but with a distinctive and dynamic new sound honed over a few years of international touring behind her sophomore album,<i> Anchors and Anvils</i>. With her new EP, the Memphis, TN-based singer/songwriter/upright bassist once again defies any effort at simple comparison or categorization.<p> <i>Died of Love</i> further reveals the dramatic range of LaVere s vocal prowess amidst five stunning and electrified songs that have become staples of more recent live performances. Throughout, she weaves back and forth between wild, driving folk rock and psychedelic-tinged dirges of desperation, heartache, and loss. Recorded as a three piece with her band that includes drummer Paul Taylor and guitarist Steve Selvidge, the EP immediately commands attention, as Amy and company race headlong through her powerful reinvention of the traditional folk gem Railroad Boy (Died of Love). Her dreamy and intoxicating take on the Tom Waits favorite Green Grass is as haunting and evocative as the original itself, and when she revisits Washing Machine from <i>Anchors</i>, it courses with a new energy punctuated by heavy low-end bass, thundering guitar riffs, and crashing cymbals. Additionally, the EP features an arrangement from Selvidge on the traditional lament Lazarus, to which he lends his smooth, rich vocals. In all, <i>Died of Love</i> represents a big step forward for the infinitely intriguing LaVere, as she continues to recast and redefine herself and her music.