| Found Light | ||||
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| Released | July 8, 2022 [1] | |||
| Genre | Folk [2] | |||
| Length | 46:16 | |||
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| Laura Veirs chronology | ||||
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Found Light is a 2022 studio album by American singer-songwriter Laura Veirs. This is the first album without long-time producer Tucker Martine and also the first where Veirs recorded her guitar and vocals simultaneously. [3] It has received positive critical reception.
Found Light is Veirs' first album without producer and ex-husband Tucker Martine since 2001. Veirs co-produced the album with Shahzad Ismaily and attempted to change how she made it, such as recording her guitar part and vocals simultaneously [3] and also using different guitar tunings to have different voicings. [4] Usually, when preparing a new album, Veirs will write 200 or 300 songs, re-writing and drafting parts of song elements until she can finalize the album with her best compositions; for Found Light, she pared down the preparation process to 80 or so revisions, making around 30 complete songs and resulting in 14 on the final release. [4]
The album has received several positive reviews from critics, including Mark Deming of AllMusic, who sums up his review calling this release, "an engaging new chapter in the career of a gifted songwriter"; the site's editorial group gave it four out of five stars. [1] Steve Horowitz of PopMatters also considers this a departure from Veirs' previous work, calling this "more inquisitive and exploratory (and even experimental) than before" and scoring it a seven out of 10. [5] A similar score came from Pitchfork Media's Brian Howe; his 7.6 out of 10 praises the performer's voice and songwriting for "compact, allusive songs". [6] Writing in The Guardian , Rachel Aroesti gave Found Light four out of five stars for the singer's voice, the diversity of emotions in the music, and particularly Veirs' "hugely arresting" lyrics. [7] In Paste , Annie Parnell characterizes these emotions and lyrics as a "stirring song cycle that deals in the beauty and agony of transformation"; she scored the album an eight out of 10. [8] John Amen of No Depression also notes the lyrical depth, as well as the diversity of musical genre influences in a positive assessment. [2]
All songs written by Laura Veirs, except where noted
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