Having spent much of the year singing the praises of one Gardner ( Savannah ), #TEAMw21 now find ourselves ready to put our weight behind another in the shape of Lanie ( no relation ) Gardner. You may subliminally already know her, for her cover of "Dreams" has had 55 million views and her music has appeared in the recent Twisters movie. This release is the third from her forthcoming album "A Songwriter's Diary" all written by herself with no sniff of a co write anywhere. The tracks released so far are captivating, minimalist absorbing and undoubtedly fantastic.
"Somewhere, Nowhere In Carolina" starts as just Lanie, her beautifully picked acoustic guitar and a kick drum and but for a few well chosen keyboard additions there is really little else required as the basic elements hold your attention in a vice like grip.
The gentle intro immediately leads us into to Lanie's state of mind and it is not happy. We find her harking back to a time when singing was a simple pleasure. There's a slightly worn smoky quality to Lanie's voice, when she sings the opening lines that seems to smooth out when she's looking back wistfully to happier times.
"Been staring at my ceiling and trying to find a reason
Why picking up this guitar has gotten to be so hard
There was a time when the sound of these strings
Would fix just about anything -
Maybe I was naive, maybe i was thirteen
And then I sang just to sing
Instead of living large
Sometimes I'd rather be"
The chorus is a testament to a more wholesome innocent way of life left behind, it is all neatly contrasted with her present circumstances. It comes through crystal clear in Lanie's deliver the joy that was had in those formative years.
"Catching fireflies,then love bugs
Telling stories instead of lies
Skipping stones instead of getting stoned
To try to find some peace of mind
Hopping ditches instead of planes
Pulling wagons instead of these chains
Sometime instead of keeping this up
I'd rather be "Somewhere, Nowhere In Carolina"
Later verses pick out little childhood memories, the sort that anchor us and give us starting point to return to when things become to much.
"When smokin’ and drinkin’
Was just every other weekend
Sneaking out late at night
Too young for the neon lights
When the smell of wintergreen and cologne
Was my uncle’s ‘79 bronco
When the road was a friend
I’d give anything To live that again"
The final verse is intriguing - it asks could she give up the fame to return to a simple way of life and after due consideration Lanie concludes that she could.
"Maybe this city is getting to my head
But I’ll confess, if the music’s dead
And home is all I’ll have left It’d be a pity
But I think I’d be just fine I’d have a clear blue sky
And plenty of time
To hide and remember
Why I sang... just to sing"
Let's hope it doesn't come to that as this and the other tracks released so far point to a major emerging talent - and a cracking forthcoming album.
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