Shum Ticky

Shum Ticky

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Laura Love is an unruly imp amongst folky frumps. No Lilith Fair-type ninny, she playfully dances from earthy African rhythms to slinky Middle Eastern strains, from jazzy jams to rap to blues. Amazingly, this smorgasbord of sound works up smoothly into a splendid groove. Love does have her ethereal moments, but instead of vanishing into thin air, she grounds herself in the role of whimsical nature girl. Love's strength is in combining the unexpected--even reciting nursery rhymes with an engaging spunk. You never know where the singer is going to take you on this aural adventure--but wherever it is, it's bound to be fun. Besides, any woman who writes a song glorifying her "big ol' booty" deserves a medal for her all-out bravado. --Janiss Garza

Tracks:

Woe Is Me
Mahbootay
Aha Me A Riddle I Day
The Clapping Song
I'm A Givin' Way
Punctured And Hissing
Longfellow Creek
Less is More
Shum Ticky
Sorry
Serenity
Give Me Five
Bang Bang

Amazon.com

Laura Love is an unruly imp amongst folky frumps. No Lilith Fair-type ninny, she playfully dances from earthy African rhythms to slinky Middle Eastern strains, from jazzy jams to rap to blues. Amazingly, this smorgasbord of sound works up smoothly into a splendid groove. Love does have her ethereal moments, but instead of vanishing into thin air, she grounds herself in the role of whimsical nature girl. Love's strength is in combining the unexpected--even reciting nursery rhymes with an engaging spunk. You never know where the singer is going to take you on this aural adventure--but wherever it is, it's bound to be fun. Besides, any woman who writes a song glorifying her "big ol' booty" deserves a medal for her all-out bravado. --Janiss Garza

Customer Reviews:

Musician's Musician.......2005-06-22

Shum Ticky encapsulates everything I enjoy about Laura Love. Original music today is largely about combining familiar elements to create something new. During the course of this recording she fuses her trademark funky bass and yodeling with rap, African and Turkish elements. She sometimes calls her style Afro-Celt, but she is really more broad than that. There is variety of sound and style from beginning to end.

I think that I actually used to dislike Laura Love. That all changed when I heard her do a 12-minute showcase performance at a booking conference in 2004. Between her virtuosic bass playing, singing, material and stage presence, she was thoroughly engaging. Within three weeks after having seen her play I bought all of her CDs and autobiography. I have NO idea what it was that I thought that I used to dislike about her.

She got some flak for re-recording some of her earlier classics and embracing a more accessible sound for this album, but I never lost any sleep over it. My musical partner and I play this on every road trip when we are on tour. The music itself is really fun, but the thought provoking lyrics and great musicianship make this recording never get old!

This is a fun and eclectic cd!.......2004-07-21

This is a fun and eclectic group of songs and it's better than most of what is out today. I love The Clapping Song, Mahabooty and Punctured and Hissing. There are few musicians as talented as Laura Love working today and I think this is another example of just how great she is.

See Laura live.......2001-05-13

We saw Laura Love play last night (5/11/01) at La Salles in Chico, CA. She really is an amazing talent. She stretched her voice out, hitting a greater range than on any of her recordings, and still right on pitch. Her bass playing was likewise amazing. The rest of the band was equally enjoyable. Highly recommended!

Promising.......2000-01-19

I agree with the earlier reviewers that the remakes of earlier material on this album don't hold up to the originals, but the new material stands up well on its own. "Mahbootay" is a kick-butt song, and both funny and thought-provoking, too, once you drag out the liner notes to figure out just what the heck LL is saying. The title song almost matches "Mahbootay" for style and sass. Listening to this album gives me the impression she's still trying to find her footing as a big-label commercial artist, but she's getting there, finding ways to make good music that even the record company will recognize as good.

More noticible, more forgettable.......1999-08-03

Shum Tucky is obviously an attempt to break Laura Love into the mainstream, as it includes reworkings of some of her best, little known material, in addition to new songs. More power to her, I say! Unfortunately, the slicker, more generic production makes Ms. Love blend a bit too much into an anonymous wall of female pop singers. Some of her greats, like "Less is More", *were* a bit homemade sounding on previous albums, or at least I thought so upon first listen. But they have held up well, and are generally much better than the versions on Shum Tucky.

I'm looking forward to her next release. Go Laura!

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