Lauren Minear – Invisible Woman
Some artists write from a fictitious perspective while others draw on life’s experiences. While this LP is not a downer it comes from a deep place. NY-born & Nashville-raised, the now Westchester, NY-based Lauren Minear struggled with having a child during the pandemic. What followed was post-partum depression (PPD) – which isn’t just the blues, it can be a profound depression. Many women manage that frosty terrain. Some emerge & others will always have black tethers that pull at their innocent mind.
Ms. Minear explores bravely the routes this condition leads women. It’s a personal consistent battle. It’s like bouts of anxiety that cause a person to burst into tears for no reason. It’s scary. Many experience this after giving birth. You’d think they would suffer from this if their child died. But this comes from giving the gift of life not taking it.
OK, enough of the clinical. Lauren’s music takes this turmoil & sheds some light on these intense feelings. The 41-minute 11-cut Invisible Woman (Drops Oct 14–Independent) takes listeners on an abbreviated journey into heady territory. It’s a brave choice Ms. Minear has taken. Maybe as therapy.
The showcase is filled with emotional melodies. “Heartbroken,” is a full-bodied challenge musically. No fiction here. The music produced by UK producer Dan Weeks; Dan Barracuda & guitarist Cory Clark manages to pull a rousing performance from the sediment of what was a normal life. Now questioning the new life & what it may face in this world.
I once spoke to a woman going through similar concerns. She said she wasn’t going to have children because of the state of the world & it’s a responsibility. I suggested that she shouldn’t approach giving life like that. She wondered why. I simply said it may be her child that will someday be the solution to what our world has f—– up. And that child is important — though not yet arrived. She wept. And had a child 2 years later.
Some of Lauren’s vocalizations touch upon the heart-felt style of Sarah McLachlan, but Lauren has her own vocalese that shines with the same emotional-soulful impulse that went into Cindy Bullens’ “Somewhere Between Heaven & Earth,” composed following the death of her 11-year daughter. Only an artist who dives high will touch the bottom & emerge to perform with the dark-hued expressiveness of real life. As these women have.
This isn’t just a woman’s album. A man can appreciate these bittersweet poignant songs. Will it prompt one to cry? Yes. If it does then the aim’s achieved. It’s what music is about. Reaching someone. Going into their ears & reaching their hearts. It takes skill to express such personal feelings & Lauren Minear has done this.
Get some tissues & let this remind you why you’re human.
Highlights – “Soul Tied,” “Motherlove,” “Heartbroken,” (the single), “Invisible Woman,” “Long Way Down,” “Too Much of You,” “Mothers,” & “I See Your Face.”
Color photo by Jeffrey Mosier. CD @ https://laurenminearmusic.com/