Lori Amey
Country of origin:
U.S.
Type of music generally:
Contemporary folk, with rock influences (especially on the Resignation cd)
Status:
Most recent release, Big and Bold (2018)
See also:
Lori Amey's site
Comparisons:
Her bio says Sarah McLachlan, Indigo Girls, Joni Mitchell, Natalie Merchant. Sarah McLachlan, vocally, but not particularly musically.
The others I don't think I would compare her music to, but I think her albums would fit nicely in a collection with any and all of these artists. I might also add Susan Werner and Melissa Ferrick (though I think Lori's music is generally softer). (JoAnn Whetsell)I'd also compare her with Sarah McLachlan, but with much less ambient/atmospheric touches. I'd throw the Indigo Girls in there for good measure, especially on her second CD. (miazgama@pilot.msu.edu)
Covers/own material:
Own
General comments:
Lori is very ecto-ish in style. She has a remarkable voice, comparable to Sarah McLachlan's (with every ounce of gravity that that comparison conveys), and nice songwriting skills. She was a talent search winner at 1998's Lilith Fair at Pine Knob. She's phenomenal. Great stage presence, lots of charisma, and soaring vocals. Her songwriting is coming along very nicely. (miazgama@pilot.msu.edu)I must agree with Mark, she's wonderful. However, I only own her first CD, Nothing to Say, and i like it a lot. The only reason I haven't gotten around to buying a copy of Resignation is because I get to see her play live so much and I know most of the songs already. Soon I'll get it, but I'm one of those people who prefer live, anyway. (JudoEWF@aol.com)
Definitely the most striking thing about her is her absolutely gorgeous voice, high and very sweet. (I love her self-harmonizing.) She's also a good songwriter, and the music comes through with a nice blend of vocals and instrumentation and not over-produced. (JoAnn Whetsell)
Comments about live performance:
She plays quite often at my coffeehouse, and wows the audience every time. One thing about Lori's CD's that doesn't necessarily always come across is her very charismatic live performances. Such songs as her own compositions "Inside" (which rocks), "Shattered", and "Better Day" really take on new life live, and she's got hilarious stage banter. Her choice of covers is also remarkably good...everything from Melissa Ferrick's "Til You're Dead" to Patty Griffin's "Swimming with Snakes" to Ani DiFranco's "Gravel" to Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes" to the Indigo Girls' "Galileo" to, funnest of all, Duran Duran's "Rio". The crowd-pleaser for every show is her unique, goofy, and sexy cover of, believe it or not, "Rubber Ducky". Lori's a real charismatic performer. And that tremendous voice? It's all real. Her next CD will be a live one and I, for one, can't wait. (3/00, miazgama@pilot.msu.edu)Not only does Lori have GREAT stage presence and put on an incredible show every time, but she also has two WONDERFUL percussionists, Gloria and Carolyn, who studied drums in Africa for a while. (So you KNOW they must be good!) Lori is not only a wonderful performer but is a very charismatic and down-to-earth person to hang out with, despite her rapidly, ever-growing popularity. (3/00, JudoEWF@aol.com)
Recommended first album:
Either. Nothing to Say for fans of folk and softer music; Resignation for those who prefer their folk with more of an edge. I personally prefer Nothing to Say a bit more. (JoAnn Whetsell)As for her CD's, I like Resignation better, but only because more of my favorites are on it—"Shattered", "Resignation", "Better Day" all appear on the second and not the first. I agree with JoAnn, though—Nothing to Say is more for softer folk fans, while Resignation is a little more folk-rock. (miazgama@pilot.msu.edu)
Recordings:
- Nothing to Say (1998)
- Resignation (1999)
- Always ep (2001)
- This Little Illusion (2005)
- Big and Bold (2018)
Nothing to Say
Release info:
1998—LEEMA Records and Teppu Publishing, P.O. Box 530775, Livonia, MI, 48153-0775, U.S.A.
Availability:
Mail order from above address
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Lori Amey—vocals, acoustic guitar
Guest artists:
Billy Panda—acoustic guitar, 12-string acoustic, mandolin
Ron de la Vega—acoustic fretless bass, upright bass, cello
Pat McInterney—drums, percussion
Produced by:
Larry Pacheco
Comments:
I really enjoy this cd. She has a really exceptional voice, and she uses it well here. "In the Gloaming" really showcases this, but her own compositions are every bit as good. "Heal" gets stuck in my head. Half the songs reappear on Resignation. (JoAnn Whetsell)
Resignation
Release info:
1999—LEEMA Records and Teppu Publishing, P.O. Box 530775, Livonia, MI, 48153-0775, U.S.A.
Availability:
Mail order from above address
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Lori Amey—vocals, acoustic guitar
Guest artists:
Craig Krampf—drums, tambourine, shaker
"Chopper" Anderson—acoustic bass, fretless bass, 5-string electric bass
Steve Sheehan—acoustic guitars (natural strung, classical), electric slide, electric guitar
Jimmy Glass—electric guitars
Mark Jordan—Hammond B-3, electric piano, accordion, Wurlitzer
Wayne Jackson—trumpet, flugle horn, trombone
Tim Lorsch—violin (hi-boy), baritone violin (lo-boy)
Laurie Wheeler—congas, timbales, the "ancestral bones", guiro, hand bass drum, talking drum
Larry Pacheco—harmonica
Produced by:
Larry Pacheco and Lori Amey
Comments:
She writes in the liner notes "Once again, I have finished another project of which I am very proud..." and she should be. This is another really good album. 6 of the songs are new, and the 5 from Nothing To Say are considerably reworked. (The only mistake here was the latinized version of "Inside.") More rock and pop influences here, but essentially still folk, and still that beautiful voice. (JoAnn Whetsell)
Always ep
Release info:
2001—Leema Records
Availability:
See Lori Amey's website for availability
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Lori Amey—voice, acoustic guitar
Guest artists:
Gloria Price—percussion (1-5)
Greg Laman—samples and programming (6)
Michael Gould—drums and percussion (6) Robert Newcomb—silver dollar guitar (6) Michael "Chikuzen" Gould—shakuhachi (6)
Produced by:
Michael Gould and Greg Laman (6)
Comments:
The Always ep features Lori's beautiful soprano voice (she's another classically-trained singer), 4 new songs which are as strong in songwriting as anything she's done in the past, and seem even stronger in her voice and the instrumentation (I think they seem more percussive). The 4 new songs are a bit less folky, more Sarah McLachlan-ish in a way, though. The disc also has 2 remixes of old songs which incorporate world music styles and drumming and make the songs really quite different from their original versions. (JoAnn Whetsell)
This Little Illusion
Release info:
2005—Leema Records—6 49288 31952 9
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Lori Amey—vocals, acoustic guitar, arrangements
Guest artists:
Eric Stiener—classical guitar (1), clean tone electric guitar (1, 7), electric guitar (6)
Albin Zak—piano (3, 5, 7, 10), electric guitar (1, 6, 9)
Lee Sylvestre—electric guitar (2, 4, 5, 10)
Brad Townsend—upright bass
Michael Gould—percussion/drums
Gloria D. Price—bodhran (11)
Produced by:
Lori Amey
Comments:
This Little Illusion shows the influence of the Always ep and Lori's growth as a songwriter. Lyrically, vocally, it's classic Lori. But she branches out here for more experimentation, with Latin, Middle Eastern, and jazz influences on several songs and greater use of backing sections (bass, horns). Highly recommended. (JoAnn Whetsell)
Thanks to JoAnn Whetsell for work on this entry.
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