Young but uniquely experienced, Phillip LaRue has an admirable grip on how to live, and the proof is written all over his debut solo album, Let the Road Pave Itself. An organic set of songs for the digital age, it was tracked live in the studio to an old fashioned two-inch tape reel, warmly capturing the sound of Phillip and his friends playing real time rock that’s only ever concerned with life’s deepest matters of love and faith. An honest, freewheeling spirit that instantly sets it apart from the big machine. Let the Road Pave Itself is catchy without trying to sound commercial, Phillip writes stay-in-your-head songs from the heart; real life musical stories about open-book faith, his closest loved ones, and struggling friends who don’t always believe as he does.
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Louisiana native Phillip LaRue, the male half of defunct (and under-appreciated) brother/sister band LaRue, takes a break from his busy songwriting and producing schedule to release a project of personal material. LaRue is given free reign by producing partner Tyson Paoletti, allowing him to personally and expressively explore and define his inner muse. The expression of this creative freedom makes Let The Road Pave Itself an extremely palatable disc of subtly flavored pop and atypical contemporary music.
If you’ve had the privilege of residing in or visiting the state of Louisiana, you’ve hopefully come to the conclusion that it is a singularly unique member of the Union with its veritable gumbo of cultural influences. The musical flavor of Let The Road Pave Itself is similarly varied and broad. LaRue’s voice forms the backbone for all 12 songs, with piano, acoustic guitar and drums providing a simple, yet solid supporting framework. Touches of Delta Blues, acoustic jazz and southern folk, rock and gospel influences flesh out the project, creating a savory and distinctive sound.
The only drawback to this album is the overabundance of mid-tempo pieces and the repetitive use of tempo changes and musical fades midway through songs to showcase the emotive timbre of LaRue’s vocals.
Chris Rodriguez’s Beggar’s Paradise, Brandon Heath’s Don't Get Comfortable and Leigh Nash’s Blue On Blue come to mind as apt comparisons to Let The Road Pave Itself; though not necessarily stylistically similar. Other comparable artists, at their quietest and/or quirkiest, include Between The Trees, Chasen, Ruth and Telecast. Music lovers bored with the “same ol’, same ol’” should venture a little off the road more taveled and sample this personal and distinct project.
Phillip LaRue [Let The Road Pave Itself]| Posted March 24, 2009 [MAIN REVIEW]
Young but uniquely experienced, Phillip LaRue has an admirable grip on how to live, and the proof is written all over his debut solo album, “Let the Road Pave Itself”. The album is catchy without trying to sound commercial, Phillip writes stay-in-your-head songs from the heart; real life musical stories about open-book faith, his closest loved ones, and struggling friends who don’t always believe as he does. Phillip and his sister Natalie released 3 albums as LaRue, and charted several pop hits including “Reason”, “Waiting Room” and “OK To Cry” and called it a day after Natalie wed. Phillip moved to Florida and produced notable indie acts like Over the Rhine and Dave Barnes for a worship project based on the Psalms. Now back in Nashville, he has recently written hit songs “Love Is Here” and “By Your Side” and produced rising band Tenth Avenue North.
“Let the Road Pave Itself” starts off with the first single “Chasing The Daylight”, a great song which includes the lyric “I want to chase the daylight like it’s the last day of my life”. “It’s in the unraveling of life that we find God even more”, Phillip says of the song. The next song “Home” is one of my favorite songs on the album and has a catchy chorus and his emotional vocal style reminded me of Shaun Groves and the entire album resembled the introspective style of Shaun’s debut Dove Award nominated album “Invitation To Eavesdrop”. Vocally, Phillip sings with raw vulnerability and is comparable to Adam Duritz of Counting Crows and Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol, both in vocal tone and style of songs. The song “Erase And Rewind” is for a friend with suicidal thoughts and encourages him to know he’s loved by God. The other love songs on the album, “Don’t Be Deceived”, “All I Want” and “Sleeping Beauty” are love songs to Phillip’s wife. There are great parallels of God’s love for us with the love of a husband and wife. “All I Want” vocally reminded me of “Crack The Shutters” by Snow Patrol.
The last 2 songs, “Black and Blue” and “Mountains High Valleys Low” are stripped down and personal songs. In “Black and Blue”, Phillip’s sister Natalie wrote a poem about their younger sister Brianna who has cerebral palsy and an inoperable brain tumor. The song includes the lyrics “you deserve to walk to run to fly – all the things I wanted for you in this life”.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Phillip’s personal and relevant lyrics and vulnerable singing style made this a memorable and enjoyable album for me.
Rating: 9.2 out of 10 (92%, A)
Review written by: Kevin Davis | Review can also be found here.
This review has been reprinted on NRT with permission from ChristianMusicReview.org. Click here to visit ChristianMusicReview.org today!
Solo Debut from Phillip LaRue| Posted June 10, 2009
I remeber listening to the sibling group LaRue back in the day and they had some really great vocals and lyrics. They then took some time off with Natalie getting married and Phillip going behind the scenes as a producer. Now Phillip is back with a solo album. I really didnt know what to expect but was really impressed with the album. It does have a nice flow to and some good lyrics. I know it is labeled as a Christian album and may not fit what most people consider to be a Christian album but it is an album with songs written by a Christian. So there are some spiritual references if you take a look at it in a different light. The album has a southern rock. I liked the songs "chasing the Daylight" "Why" and "All I Want." A great Solo album from a veteran musician that is really worth the look.
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