LAZORE – LAZORE
LAZORE – LAZORE – EP Review
When you drop that debut y’all, you put it out there in BIG BOLD LETTERS so the people know!
I’ve been hangin’ onto this record for a while now so that I’ve been able to listen to it for just a while longer than I get a chance to listen to most in this quick life cycle of a music critic’s playlist. LAZORE has got himself quite the kickass self-titled debut EP and it’s been great to spend some significant time with it. Officially available right there from the links on his website all across the great plains of the internet, I have the feeling you’re all likely going to seriously dig on Lazore’s LAZORE EP…this dude’s got the goods.
Right from the drop of “Heyday” it feels like you can hear the inspiration, the passion, and the real grit required to make something happen with his music. “Lately I’ve been chasing this recurring dream. I rapidly approach it…it’s further than it seems,” – that’s the very first line you’ll hear from the man as his first EP kicks into gear…and there’s no real reason that we should assume it’s anything less than auto-biographical I’d suppose. A lot of the time as we’re pursuing our goals and dreams, the closer they get, the further away they can seem. I don’t have definitive proof that “Heyday” is all about LAZORE’s push towards the spotlight, but if you’re having a close listen to the words, it’s certainly a possibility. What I really dig about this opening cut is that he reminds me a lot of like…underrated mid-to-late 90s bands that rocked the Alternative Rock/Pop sound perfectly, like Vertical Horizon and The Verve Pipe. Great definition in the whole vibe and the crunch of his guitars, solid vocals & hooks…LAZORE sounds like he’s come ready to play and fully equipped with a veteran’s know-how. If this is truly where his journey as an artist begins, you definitely wouldn’t know it by the way things sound – “Heyday” reveals an inherent professionalism and a genuine gift for creating songwriting that’s sure to make an impact on ya. The music is bold, the words are thought-provoking, the hooks are sharp…it’s a great gateway into the EP and I’d imagine that “Heyday” is pretty much guaranteed to get everyone onboard to listen right quick.
LISTEN to that instant drama on “Underrated” though will ya? That’s the kind of effective sound in the music you wanna hear on the way into a record. It’s not overtly complex – it’s a cut that makes great use of LAZORE’s songwriting and smartly defined parts from all three main aspects in the music…bass, drums, guitars…everything sticks fully to the script and makes sure to keep the quality coming atcha. As I’ve said many a time here on these pages of ours – we don’t all need to recreate the wheel, and if we are gonna do that, it certainly doesn’t need to be on that very first record. At the very beginning, what we wanna hear is consistency, potential, and ideas above all things…LAZORE’s got plenty of all these ingredients. “Underrated” is an excellent example of knowing where to play, what to play, and how to play it. Ultimately, the results speak for themselves…his lyricism resonates, the imagery in his words is tangible, the rhythm, cadence, and message all land perfectly…and the music is as on-point as his lyrics. While it might be harder to point out one massive highlight moment or aspect of “Underrated,” LAZORE instead provides you with a relentless dose of consistency that most don’t have in their first steps outta the gate, and creates a compelling cut that is sure to keep you engaged. If you’re looking for my opinion on what the main draw is on “Underrated,” I suppose it’d be fairly close to a tie between the lyrics in the main hook of the chorus, or the way he sings the melody so sincerely in the verses…but honestly, it’s probably the drums on this tune. We’re spoiled for choice on the positives, and that’s a great thing. The tone of his guitar in the solo would also make an excellent candidate for the highlight of this second cut.
Whether it’s the low-key melody of the guitars on “Would You Believe Me” or the way the vocals flow right from the start, or the bold way this tune shifts into the chorus…I dunno…there’s just something about this track that felt like it’s going to have no problem at all standing out to the people listening. Like I was tellin’ ya earlier on…I don’t even really think it’s so much about what LAZORE’s playing so much as the way he plays it – and that same recipe goes for the way he chooses to sing as well. Listen to the way he punches into the chorus of “Would You Believe Me” for example – he’s got such undeniable conviction in his voice as he sings the title, that the only answer from any of us would be a resounding YES. Yes – we would believe him – we DO believe him, because we’d believe anyone out there that sounded this serious in the grip of the moment. Whatever that effect he’s got on the backing layer of guitar in the verses was a really smart addition too…all-in-all, it’s a really cleverly written song that gets the maximum out of what’s essentially fairly minimal ingredients at its core. That’s just what I’ve been tellin’ ya though – LAZORE’s played this debut correctly by not stretching his ambitions too far beyond what he’d be capable of, and as a result, we get a tight lineup of five tracks on the LAZORE EP that never let ya down. Dude’s getting great tone out of his guitars, he’s writing gripping parts for himself to play, and he sings with purpose, intent, and passion…considering the fact that you can hear charisma in his voice & within all aspects of the instrumentation, and that he clearly has an intense understanding of what makes a hook genuinely connect…I mean…he’s got everything he needs to succeed. I suppose I could have summed that up by simply saying he’s a fully reliable songwriter, but I went the long route!
What I feel like LAZORE should be extremely proud of in the consistency I’ve been telling you about, is that he’s verifiably put EVERY one of these songs in a position to become a single. Honestly, I could make a legitimate argument on behalf of any of’em, and that’s no easy accomplishment, no matter how easy he seems to make it appear on this record in its flawless lineup of tunes. While “Tell Me” probably feels to me like it’s got about a ten percent bigger chance of grabbing your attention…if you were to tell me that any of the others surrounding it were your favorite song, I’d completely believe ya. That’s what I’m tellin’ ya…the consistency is outright remarkable, and especially in the context of a debut. Where I feel like “Tell Me” has a huge advantage is in the way it begins and gets the energy cranked up quickly, and the harmonies he’s added into the way he sings the second-half of each verse makes a significant difference too. It also has what I think is probably my favorite solo of any song on the EP as well, in addition to hooks in the music & vocals that would be universally apparent to any set of ears listening. Like, you can practically hear the lights flashing on & off as LAZORE would play this song live from the stage, and that’s gonna be an advantage when he goes to make his moves out there in the scene – “Tell Me” has the kind of fiery sound, noticeable dynamics, and BIG vibes that are conducive to making live music memorable. Mark my words y’all…LAZORE’s got tunes that are built to be played live without a doubt, and a track like “Tell Me” is a perfect example of a song you can hear would suit the stage, 100%.
With allllllllllllllllllllll that good stuff being said, I think he actually finishes the EP off on its strongest song. “Been Around” is quite likely my personal favorite of the bunch. I’d still advocate for “Tell Me” probably being the most single-worthy of the set, but I feel like there’s gonna be a lot of people that will side with me on “Been Around” being the best track overall. Somewhere in between the lands of Vertical Horizon and a band like Tonic, you’ll find a cut like “Been Around” making a comfortable home on a whole bunch of playlists. The opening 2:20 is designed to make a solid impression on ya, but ironically, it’s the shift that occurs after that point where LAZORE sings “where’d I go wrong” that “Been Around” seems to go the most RIGHT, and discovers a monumental second gear that kicks this track into overdrive to bring about an undeniably powerful finale for his debut EP. You’ll find no complaints from me about anything I’ve heard here on this record…he’s still got plenty of room to grow from here, but I think it’s a stellar first impression without question, and a reliable record that fully guarantees that there will be another.
Find out more about LAZORE from the official website at: https://lazoremusic.com
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