Anna Laube
on the record:
Birger Olsen
Nick Moran
Jason Quever
Influences
love and music + The Beatles, Lucinda Williams, Bo Ramsey, Aretha Franklin, Mason Jennings, David Zollo, Kris Delmhorst, Ani DiFranco, The Indigo Girls, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, Sean Hayes, Jolie Holland, Joni Mitchell, Jeff Tweedy, Emmylou Harris, Three Dog Night
Also in the CD player:
Gillian Welch, Krishna Das, Justin Townes Earle, Joe Pug, Greg Brown, Pieta Brown, The Grateful Dead, Chuck Berry, The Be Good Tanyas, Cat Power, The Beach Boys, Townes Van Zandt, Janis Joplin
Sounds Like
Todd Lavoie, San Francisco Bay Guardian
"Sure, it's mighty fine to have that warm, tingly feeling rippling up and down your spine as you discover your newest favorite song by an artist to whom you would hand over the keys to your heart, but let's fess up: nothing comes close to being frozen in place by a song that pricks up your ears and leaves you begging, 'Who was that?!' I'm lucky enough to still feel my head swimming from such a moment. 'Something I Can Feel,' from the recent debut release by Anna Laube, Outta My Head (Ginkgo Records), lured me from the grayness of my computer and whisked me off to better, brighter places. Fans of Jolie Holland, Dolly Parton, and Sarah Harmer, take note: this local singer-songwriter has a name you'll want to remember."
Editor's Review, C|NET Download.com
"Country, folk, and torchy pop gather like old friends in this San Francisco songstress's burnished tunes. Centered on softly insistent vocals (somewhere between Aimee's and Emmylou's), Laube's songs layer in plucky mandolin, quavering slide, and enough good faith to keep the campfire burning late."
Open mic, NPR
"...Anna Laube makes intimate, heartfelt songs rooted in traditional Americana. With a strong voice reminiscent of Neko Case or Jenny Lewis, Laube sings with a slight but refreshing country twang over a mix of blues, country and folk."
David Byrne with Tony Peregrin,Windy City Times
"...Outta My Head is one of those collections that you want to listen to on your own, but part of you wants to give a copy to all of your friends, especially to those who are Norah Jones fans. Laube blends jazz, folk, country and blues in the style of Lucinda Williams and Tara Angell."
Jake Nuckolls,CDReviews.com
"Think: Emmylou Harris meeting Aimee Mann and becoming one person (an altogether too forced Disney-ish romp that somehow works). Acoustic, atmospheric, wide open, and western. Dirt covered highways and the setting sun. Along with beautiful folk tunes, Laube slips into old ragtime blues quickly and simply (“If You Build It”). Listen to the gorgeous “Something I Can Feel.” "
Matthew Forsman,SF Station
"Is there any ground more well trodden by artists than the vastness that is love? In a time when it's frighteningly common to be cynical, jaded, and bitter about love, Anna Laube manages to inject new life into the oft maligned emotion in Outta My Head. Laube offers no easy answers in the album, but never fails to seduce with a plethora of beautifully written, authentic tracks and talent that is unquestionable...
Stuart A. Hamilton,Zeitgeist (UK)
"... across the twelve, self penned songs, Anna proves she is very much her own woman. No more so than on the album highlight, 'The Most Beautiful Thing I've Ever Seen', which is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard.
A few others run it close - 'It Makes Me Happy' and 'If You Build It' are a joy to listen to. But to be honest, if this were a vinyl record, you could pop the needle down anywhere and be rewarded with a righteous noise."
Glen Starkey,New Times SLO (San Luis Obispo, CA) "San Francisco-based folky singer-songwriter Anna Laube sounds like a glass of lemonade on the back porch of a Southern plantation...The multi-instrumentalist has an arresting voice, a keen ear for penning immediately affecting folk tunes, and the kind of crisp albeit unobtrusive musicianship that'll knock you back on your heels."
Rob Thomas, Wisconsin State Journal-
"Sure, San Francisco music publications are raving about a talented singer-songwriter named Anna Laube in their midst, but hey, we had her first. Anna Laube was raised in Iowa City and Madison, but now makes the city by the bay her home, where she has received strong notices for her music, including the debut 'Outta My Head' CD. Mixing agreeably rough living room recordings with more polished in-studio tracks, 'Outta My Head' showcases a powerful and personal songwriting that's grounded but not bound by acoustic folk-pop conventions. You'll hear bits of Aimee Mann, Margo Timmins and Norah Jones here and there, but overall it's a lyrical voice that's wholly original."
Hans Werksman,Here Comes the Flood (blog)
San Francisco singer Anna Laube can be described is just one word: tender. If you like mellow folk songs, this is a singer you want to check out. She released an album in 2006, Outta My Head, and has a busy touring schedule covering the coffee house circuit that has been embracing her kind of music for decades.
She sounds like the favorite aunt most people never actually had -- a husky voice embedded slide guitar, upright piano and easy going drums and bass.
Anna Laube (pronounced "Lau" like "how" and "be" like "to be or not to be") is an experienced cat and plant-sitter, yoga student, aspiring surfer, and excellent driver, having just received her first speeding ticket in July 2008. Additionally, she likes to walk and is a huge fan of sunshine. Most of all she loves music. Her pan-genre (country/blues/Americana/indie) folk music has been described as "Acoustic, atmospheric, wide open, and western. Dirt covered highways and the setting sun" (CDReviews.com).
Born in lovely Iowa City, IA, Anna began taking piano lessons at the age of three. She took up saxophone, oboe and violin in secondary school, and after moving to Madison, WI, picked up the guitar at age 14. She hasn't played those middle three instruments in quite some time, but is currently working on banjo, harmonica, and hopes to soon add accordion.
Anna headed to sunny California after college to pursue gainful employment but soon became restless, subsequently taking up a vagabond lifestyle and staying with gracious friends and family. She recorded her debut album, Outta My Head in Bay Area living rooms with Birger Olsen of Town Rill and Jason Quever of The Papercuts. Bass was played by Nick Moran, and the record was engineered, mixed and mastered by Mark Whitcomb and Jason Quever. Outta My Head has received both national and international airplay and is available directly from her record label, Gingko Records, at Google Checkout, or on iTunes, Cdbaby, or Amazon,
Anna is still wandering but plans to find her home soon.
click to iLike Anna
Buy the debut CD, "Outta My Head," directly from Ginkgo Records (no middle merchant):
yupp...digging the beatles. especially the sgt. peppers album. =] my dad bought me some CDs. oh yeah...we ran into your dad at hong kong cafe last night. we were eating and through the window we could see him in his car. soo, i dashed outside and started waving my arms like a maniac until he saw me. then he came in and had some fried rice with us. when are you going to be in mad-town next? or are you?? (I really should know this, shouldn't i??) we should hang out if you're in town. love emma
Hey Anna! Sorry for the delay in friending, just got back from a week in Texas. Love the tunes--you sound great! I'm glad Katie M. hooked us up.
Yes, I see from your bio that you've got WI connections--I work at a Door County theater every summer; heading up there in just a few days, in fact. Let me know if you're ever back in the area or need an excuse to visit Door County!
your voice is so clear and beautiful. thanks for making it to lil ole ky. ..lemme know if your comin back through. we will definitely go honky tonkin. luvshae
