Make no mistake, Laura Cox’s star is on the rise – after two quality albums (Hard Blues Shot from 2017 and Burning Bright in 2019), 2023 sees Laura going full-on rock but with subtleties laced throughout to bring delightful touches of bluegrass and, of course, the blues. Head Above Water is a very strong album, varied and immaculately played by all concerned and if there’s any justice in this mad world Laura will be rightly lauded and rewarded for this lovely album. A review is available here.
Laura recently gave some of her valuable time to answer our questions and has some fascinating insights for musicians and music lovers alike.
For RAMzine readers new to your music, how would you describe the songs you write and play?
I would define my style as Southern hard blues. It’s a base of good rock’n’roll, mixed with country influences. My passion is guitar, so this instrument is the starting point of all my songs, it all begins with a riff, and the rest is naturally layering on top of this.
We understand you were fortunate enough to have a father with a rock and blues record collection… how did listening to his records influence what we hear now, and who were your favourites?
Exactly! I was lucky that I grew up with parents who had really good musical tastes, and this is part of why I’m playing right now.
The artists I remember the most are Dire Straits, Johnny Cash and The Byrds, even though I went for something more rock in the end.
Although gender is irrelevant in terms of good music, it’s a topic that’s still on the table in 2023. Has the blinkered press and small sections of the listening public ever been negative?
I’m always trying to focus more on the positive side of life, and I’m really happy with how my career is evolving. Of course, coming from YouTube, you have to be able to distance from the bad comments and the haters. I know how to differentiate constructive criticism and insults, and sometimes you have to be able to distance yourself from the virtual community. It can be hard, but once you understand that it’s not against you, it’s just stupid bored people, everything will be ok.
Most of the time the feedback is positive, and that’s what I’m keeping in mind.
Your new album, Head Above Water, is out on 20th January 2023… for me, it shows a development in styles and compositions from your earlier work. How did you approach writing and recording (especially the ingenious melding of rock, blues and bluegrass) to achieve such an excellent album?
I followed my intuition and didn’t force myself to be someone else. This album is more personal than the previous ones, as I felt more confident, and knew where I wanted to go. I wanted a rock album, but less hard than the previous ones. I wanted riffs and catchy choruses, and I wanted to have fun recording and playing the tracks live.
In the studio, we recorded the base live (drums, bass and guitars), and then I layered the rest on top (vocals, solos, and additional instruments). It was important for me to have this live energy captured because that’s how you’re supposed to play rock n’ roll.
My current favourite track is ‘Seaside,’ an ingenious melding of banjo-led bluegrass, solid blues, a delightful vocal and some seriously slinky slide to make a laid back highlight. Which one means the most to you and why?
Thank you!
One of my favorite songs is ‘Before We Get Burned’, because that was the starting point of the album. I wrote it at the end of 2019, without knowing if it could suit the new album, but I’m glad it made it in.
Then I also love ‘Swing it Out’, because I had a lot of fun writing the vocals, and I had a different approach than on the previous albums. Even if the song is rock and dynamic, I didn’t want to yell and tried to make the vocals sound more like myself.
Your electric guitar of choice appears to be Gibson Les Paul variations and a ‘weird’ looking Epiphone: what convinced you of this against, say, Fender or Musicman? (Careful, I own one of each!)
I always dreamt of having a Gibson Les Paul with a beautiful burst top. My wish was granted when I got my first paycheck! I fell in love with Slash’s tone when I started playing the guitar, and I guess I can’t imagine myself with something else than a Gibson anymore. I feel comfortable with the Les Paul shape… They are not the easiest guitars to play, but once you tame them, they’re unbeatable!
What other instruments do you play/own that have a special place in your heart?
I love my acoustic Gibson Sheryl Crow signature. It’s maybe the most expensive guitar I own, so I’m a bit scared to bring it on tour.
Other than this, I have a very cool Gibson SG Bass in a coral pink finish. I only play it at home, but this bass has something special and I feel great on it because it’s a short scale.
After the trials of lockdowns, how is 2023 looking from your point of view? (and can we expect any UK dates?)
2023 is definitely exciting! New album, new tour… I still don’t have a view on all the gigs we’ll play this year, but I hope we’ll be able to come to the UK at least once for a small tour. Your crowd is rock’ n’ roll, and music is in your DNA. It’s always a pleasure to come play for you.
Now the difficult one: you are only allowed to keep one album from your personal collection…who and why?
My answer will be different, depending when you’re asking me! But right now, I would say ‘Feral Roots’ from Rival Sons. This album is really refreshing, not too hard, and I can’t wait until I listen to the new one.
Finally, do you have any additional message you’d like to convey to the readers of RAMzine?
Keep on listening to Rock n’ Roll, and stay tuned for UK gigs!
