Laurie Morvan's third and most polished release begins
in angry blues-rock fashion with the statement, "We've
taken enough/ we ain't takin' no more/ Instead of bangin'
our head we should be kickin' down doors" - an
outcry against our current political situation. On the
first three tracks, Laurie Morvan and her band deliver
a series of up-tempo blues rockers with her soaring
guitar prominent. The rhetorical question "Where
are the Girls with Guitars?" is a defiant rebuttal
to the labels not taking female guitarists seriously.
Well, it's about time they took notice of this blazing
singing/songwriting guitarist who penned all 12 cuts
on the disc. This is one hard-working, passionate woman
giving her all on every track.
Laurie's difficult childhood in a rural Illinois
town where she, her mother and stepfather built their
home with their own hands, seems to be the bedrock of
her driving ambition. After getting a degree in electrical
engineering and having earned private and commercial
jet licenses, she moved to LA, taking an aerospace job.
She began to play in rock 'n' roll cover
bands, quit her day job, and fell in love with the guitar,
practicing eight or nine hours a day. Laurie says, "Playing
lead guitar is a lot like doing a life-long dance of
seduction with your true love. It's just as important
to know when to shut up and listen as it is to hoot
and holler, when to tease and when to please, when to
be tough and when to be tender."
All those styles are in evidence here, but most striking
is the emotionally honest ballad, "Family Line,"
where she laments not being able to give birth and yet
manages to say, "Now I've got everything
I could ever need." On a disc of energy-charged
tunes, this slow burner demands repeat listens.
