Where I Lead Me: Amy LaVere Brings Her Soulful Sound To Houston
Photo: Courtesy of the Artist
There’s a pretty good chance that if I mention the name Amy LaVere, that you’ll have no idea who I’m talking about. Depending on the circles you travel in, you might not even hear her name again. However, if you’re a fan of Americana music and the stand up bass; then she’s probably one of your favorite artists going. Born in Shreveport, the singer songwriter has a pedigree full of names that make her one of the most impressive artists you’ll come across. Tuesday night at McGonigel’s Mucky Duck, she’ll bring her upright bass and breathy voice alongside the twang of Will Sexton.
When you listen to the opening bars on LaVere’s latest album, last year’s “Runaway’s Diary;” you should most certainly become a fan. The sultry nature of her voice coupled with the pace of her stand up bass thumping in the background, you immediately wonder why you’ve never heard her name. Her 2024 debut, “This World Is Not My Home” garnered national praise, while utilizing some heavy hitters like Jimbo Mathus of Squirrel Nut Zippers. A role in “Walk The Line” as Wanda Jackson, and a featured role in “Black Snake Moan” all lead LaVere to start work on her second album. That album, “Anchors and Anvils” reached number six on the Americana charts, helped her perform on ACL Fest, and tour coast to coast with The Swell Season.
Another album in 2024 called “Stranger Me,” and LaVere was well on her way in becoming one of Americana’s biggest stars on the rise. Which bring us to her latest “Runaway’s Diary,” which has such a unique mix of country, folk, pop, and Americana; that it’s definitely a sound all her own. From the opener, “Rabbit” with it’s soft and sultry vibe, to the vaudeville feel to “Self Made Orphan;” the album never seems to lose its lustre. From start to finish, LaVere draws you into her sound by echoing artists from the past like Wanda Jackson and Emmylou Harris, while still keeping it fresh with tones of the present South like that of Mount Moriah. The bluesy roll to “Where I Lead Me,” or the the lovely and emotive sound of “Don’t Go yet John;” it’s hard not to face a battle within yourself of what to love more, her voice or her impressive bass playing. The entire album is one I wish was on my radar more, as I seriously feel like I might have missed a great one last year by not knowing of it until recently. It’s definitely an album that you should give a listen, before you find yourself listening to it nonstop.
Her Mucky Duck show is a duo performance with Sexton, and definitely one of those that you’ll be sorry that you missed. The doors are at 7:30, and the tickets are between $20.00 and $22.00.
