REVIEW: Lisa Loeb – The Purple Tape
Lisa Loeb – The Purple Tape
(Remastered + Extra Tracks)
Furious Rose Productions/RedEye Distribution
When Lisa Loeb went from the NY club scene to the international stage with her fondly-remembered #1 hit ‘Stay (I Missed You’) back in 1994, she became the first (and so far, only) unsigned artist to ever reach the peak position on the charts. Her subsequent major-label debut album ‘Tails’ the following year, quickly went Gold, and since then Loeb has released a steady string of consistently impressive albums (albeit with varying degrees of commercial success).
Later this year, Lisa Loeb plans to release both a new studio album, and a second children’s album (following 2004’s critically acclaimed ‘Catch The Moon’ with Elizabeth Mitchell). But before all that, she’s taking fans back to 1992 – 2 years before her breakthrough success, with the first ever CD release of ‘The Purple Tape’ – a collection of her earliest solo recordings, previously only available (as the name suggests) on a long out-of-print cassette.
Though the recordings have been remastered to a startling degree of clarity, the 10 original songs retain an endearingly ‘homemade’ and intimate feel. Loeb’s performances are confident and self-assured, her songs, even at this early stage in her career notably well-crafted and engaging. Many of these tracks would later be revisited on ‘Tails’ and its follow up, 1997’s ‘Firecracker’, in vastly different arrangements. Fans will definitely not want to miss the opportunity to hear these early acoustic versions – for instance, one of Lisa’s strongest ever compositions, ‘Hurricane’ has a haunting impact that’s lacking in the later full-band recording. Of the 5 songs exclusive to ‘The Purple Tape’, the poignant nostalgia of ‘Airplanes’ is a particular high point.
In addition to the fully remastered original ‘Purple Tape’ recordings on disc 1, an in-depth new interview with Lisa and a selection of live in-studio performances are included on disc 2, along with extensive liner notes, rare photos and lyrics in the booklet. Clearly this is a lovingly compiled package designed with the diehard fans in mind, who have long-awaited such a release. Its difficult to imagine any of them being disappointed with the results – and casual listeners, or anyone who enjoys lyrical acoustic rock would be well advised to check it out too. Recommended.
Visit Lisa online at www.lisaloeb.com
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