Amy LaCour

Amy LaCour is a contemporary musician with classic influences. Her music is rooted in soul and singer/songwriter traditions while drawing loosely from jazz, folk and blues. Since 2007, Amy has released two CDs under own label, Voice Recordings. The first, Bitter Suite, featured a stellar line-up of backing musicians including Curt Bisquera, Reggie Hamilton, Randy Jacobs, James Harrah, and Debra Dobkin. The set was richly textured, moody, and highlighted the jazz influence in Amy’s singing and songwriting. Urban Network described the sound as “a thinking man’s cross between Norah Jones and Bill Withers. Rooted,” and named the lead single, “One Man’s Stone,” one of the best songs of 2008. The follow up, 2010’s The Upswing, was a big departure in sound. Her second release illustrated more of Amy’s pop music influences, and featured spare arrangements and colorful vocal harmonies. “Making The Upswing was a tremendous learning process for me,” Amy explains. “I was incredibly proud of the results, but knew that I still had so much more growing to do as a musician.” So rather than touring in support of the release, Amy chose instead to attend a local music school in order to deepen her knowledge of theory and technique. After nearly a year of study, Amy discovered a renewed sense of focus and a deeper connection to the American traditions of blues and soul. “The past year has brought mentors and new friends into my life who have helped me grow as a singer and as a performer,” says Amy. “I will be forever grateful.” That year has culminated in a live recording, videotaped for fans. Supported by a band of new friends and mentors, Amy has recorded a set of both original and cover songs that highlight her soulful voice and her creative arrangements. Titled, The Sonora Sessions (for the studio in which she recorded), Amy will be releasing one new video per month through much of the spring and summer. She hopes to turn the sessions into a CD by the year’s end. Fans can follow Amy’s tumblr page for monthly video posts and weekly insights into each song. The sessions begin on Thursday, April 19th and will continue through August. A new video will be posted on the third Thursday of each month. “This project – from start to finish – was a joy to produce,” says Amy. “There are so many resources available to artists now. The power is in our hands and the possibilities are endless.” amylacour.tumblr.com “Her husky, soulful vocals, as full-bodied as a fine wine, ache with a heartbreak fusion of fortitude and vulnerability, bringing to mind other great singers to whose league she belongs.” Paul Zollo, American Songwriter Magazine Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.