DOWNLOAD: Lissie - "In Sleep" (Live)

Neo-folkie Lissie (Maurus) released her debut full length Catching A Tiger earlier this month and this is her great leap forward toward headlining large halls. Last year's 5-track EP, Why You Runnin', fell pretty squarely in the alt-country genre and I made comparisons to Roseanne Cash and Nanci Griffith in a review of the disc. This time out Lissie expands her reach to include tastes of radio-pop, 60's girl group swing, California freeway rock and delta blues. Lissie puts her stamp across all of the songs with her clear, soulful voice and makes each of these genres her own.

Catching a Tiger consists of eleven new tracks and three hold-overs from last year’s EP. Lissie wrote or co-wrote all of the songs and the new, predominately electric guitar-based, songs show the influences of producer/engineer Jacquire King (Kings of Leon) and co-writers Craig Dodds (Sugababes, Amy Winehouse), Julian Emery (who wrote for British pop-rockers McFly) and Jim Irvin (who fronted the Brit-Pop band Furniture)

The disc starts with the syncopated pots n’ pans percussion of “Record Collector” and moves from there into the 80’s style rockers “When I’m Alone” and “In Sleep”. “Bully” is a piano ballad that starts heading back down into alt-county territory and this track is followed by Why You Runnin’ holdover “Little Lovin’”. “Stranger” is pure 60’s girl group swing and “Loosen the Knot” is B-52s style power pop. “Cuckoo” is a little too ‘Sheryl Crow’ for my taste but still not a bad song. Getting a little schizo with the stylistic jumps, the disc moves from here to the majestically soaring “Everywhere I Go” and then jumps back to the present for the funky “Worried About”. “Look Away” is the disc’s only throwaway track but this is followed by the brilliantly soaring “Oh Mississippi”.



Lissie is headlining a show at Hiro Ballroom on October 22nd as part of CMJ Music Marathon. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 DOS.

Lissie's US Tour Dates
Oct 06, 2010 -- Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA
Oct 07, 2010 -- Troubadour, West Hollywood, CA
Oct 09, 2010 -- ACL Music Festival, Austin, TX
Oct 09, 2010 -- Emo's (Official ACL Aftershow w/ Dawes), Austin, TX
Oct 10, 2010 -- House Of Blues Bronze Peacock, Houston, TX
Oct 11, 2010 -- Granada Theatre, Dallas, TX
Oct 13, 2010 -- Bluebird Theater, Denver, CO
Oct 15, 2010 -- Triple Rock Social Club, Minneapolis, MN
Oct 16, 2010 -- Redstone Room @ River Music, Davenport, IA
Oct 17, 2010 -- Lincoln Hall, Chicago, IL
Oct 19, 2010 -- El Mocambo Club, Toronto, ONT, Canada
Oct 20, 2010 -- 9:30 Club, Washington, DC
Oct 21, 2010 -- Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA
Oct 22, 2010 -- Hiro Ballroom, New York, NY
Oct 23, 2010 -- T.T. the Bear's, Cambridge, MA

Links:
Lissie