R-E-S-P-E-C-T! Originally recorded by Otis Redding, but made famous by Aretha Franklin and recently coverd by our Artist of the Week: Lucy Schwartz! Anyone who has their fingers on the pulse of the LA music scene knows about this talented singer/songwriter. What is even more incredible is that she isn’t even old enough to drink; legally that is! Our very own DJ Turrtle described her as an “Old Soul.” How does a girl so young write such wonderful songs and sound so mature? One word: Talent!
At the tender age of 20, Lucy has just released her latest Ep, entitled Help Me! Help Me!, but this is no ordinary 20 year old. She has already released a full length album, Winter in June, at the age of 16. She has recently opened up some eyes with her track “Gravity” because it was featured on an episode of Grey’s Anatomy. She has also had songs appear on ABC’s “The Practice,” as well as contributing songs for the movies: Post Grad, The Women, Mother & Child. But nothing in the local Indie Scene is bigger than being played on KCRW.
Her latest Ep has a great sound and production value. It helps when you have some star power behind a project! Michael Froom who produced acts like Elvis Costello, Sir Paul McCartney and Sheryl Crow produced songs on the Ep and her full length album, which is set to be released soon!
So let’s get into the meat and potatoes; the album starts off with the playful title track to the Ep, “Help Me! Help Me!” First off, I’m a sucker for girl voices, horns and piano-based songs. So needless to say, that is a winning combination and Lucy is candy for the ears! At first, “Help Me! Help Me!” has a playful sound, but lyrically, the song is a bit dark! It still amazes me when I think she is only 20!
Gravity is by far her signature song on the Ep. It is beautifully written, the production is spot on and it is a lyrical masterpiece. This type of song would be a hit if it were just played on the radio! It has all the elements of a great ballad so we’ll just have to get her some more exposure!
I was surprised at the end of the Ep to hear a slow tempo, laid-back cover of the Otis Redding track “Respect.” Everyone knows the Aretha Franklin version, so it is a track that is hard to cover because it is always compared to the Franklin version. Lucy not only covered the track, but she re-arranged the track to tailor it to her own sound. Many artists make the mistake of doing covers that try to compete with the original, but Lucy made a brilliant choice to fit her style!
I ALWAYS try to highlight artists who I feel are on the cusp of something great and introduce our readers/fans to artists who are making great music. Lucy is one of those artists who I am sure you will hear a lot from in the coming year! Follow the links below for her albums and links to discover this amazing singer/songwriter! Thanks Lucy for coming on the show!
Top 3 Songs
1. Gravity
3. Respect
Useful Links
1 thought on “Artist of the Week- Lucy Schwartz”
Comments are closed.