It has been a sad month at the magazine as we all felt the loss of the great Ace Frehley, one of a kind. I suppose it is one of those things, but when heroes are no longer there we feel it. Who needs old age? But the baton has to be passed and so I am more than happy to pick up the review for a new guitar legend in the making, Laura Cox (we note the Ace Frehley lightning bolt guitar strap on the album cover!).
I reviewed her single “Do I Have Your Attention” recently and so I was the natural one to pick up the review of the album.
I will share the press release first:
“Pioneer of the guitar on the internet, Laura has led the way for many young guitarists and is now at the forefront of the current landscape of guitarists in France and beyond. From bedroom recordings of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama” and the like, Laura uploaded the tracks on YouTube as early as 2008. From there she built a loyal following of half a million subscribers. Her re-interpretations of classic rock songs (that also feature her on the banjo, lap steel or bass) have reached more than 100million viewers across the globe.
The multi-instrumentalist is one of the few artists who managed to break out of the virtual bubble and bring her musical highlighted life with her own band: After two albums released in 2017 and 2019 (Verycords/Warner) and having played the biggest, most prominent stages for rock music in France (Hellfest, Download Festival, Guitare en Scène, etc.), Laura Cox released her third studio album Head Above Water, which highlighted a more personal take and a solid grasp on all things rock.
“Head Above Water” saw Laura re-inventing herself while revealing new facets of her musical talent. Recorded at the renowned ICP studios in Brussels, and mastered by Ted Jensen (The Eagles, The Rolling Stones, etc.), Head Above Water rocked the boat. In her riffs and solos, Laura masters both flow and precision and her playing clearly shows that this woman knows how to take a guitar apart. Blending classic rock with bluegrass elements in an unparalleled ease, Laura Cox once again illustrates that she will remain a driving force in a new generation of rock guitarists in the years to come.”
Photography by Li Rhoda-Gil
And now my review:
The album is released on all platforms October 31.
Aside from streaming, the album will be available on CD and Vinyl.
“No Need to Try Harder” opened the album with a blast of energy and ZZ Top style boogie guitar work and riff. The chorus has some cool harmony and the whole piece craves radio play and an open road.
“A Way Home” has a kind of clap-along beat and a strong break away guitar. Again, the chorus is strong and although not as immediate as the opener the track is nicely layered and would sound great live I’m sure.
“Trouble Coming” opens with this simple strumming guitar and an almost spoken vocal with a harmony underpinning it. It’s another track that I could see finding a path of its own live. When I heard this one previously I wrote: The wind blows through this one, and it intersperses spoken dialogue with a deep beat and a harmony background that uplifts the slower heavy feel of the track. The track is quite sparse and sings of the oncoming storm clouds and the darkness of black water. Let’s conjure a storm…
“Inside the Storm”pounds a powerful beat, the drums are up a bit more in the mix and it has more light/shade in the vocal, switching nicely. The guitar break late in the song creates a power sound wall, inside the storm titles it well.
“What Do You Know?” This one starts with a slow, almost heavy ballad in style before it moves into a form of melodic radio rock. The track pulses with static without fully taking off. At 2.31 it’s the shortest track on the album.
“Dancing Around the Truth” introduces a bit of radio punk into the vibe. It has that bit of edge to it, and I liked the mid-section when the music stripped back and we are left with the vocal asking the question.
“Out Of The Blue” is a simple ballad, played with minimal instrumentalization. The song slots neatly into the album and provides a gentle touch that leads into a guitar break suited to the camp fire glow.
“The Broken” gets everyone up and jumping.It fuses a pop punk vocal style with rock harmonies and a cool vibe. It would be another that would make for a good driving song.
“Rise Together” I liked. It has a confident slow strut coupled with a quite heavy sound and a tolling bell. It was interesting and although not one you would release as a single it had a depth and a purpose that fitted the album well.
“Do I Have Your Attention?” Looking for fun and attention – do I have your attention?” This is a good time rocker of a track, plenty of sing along chorus style that has a built in reach out for an audience. The guitar rocks away with the notes flowing out – it’s melodic metal and would be a perfect fit for commercial rock radio.
“Strangers Someday” closes the album down in a haunting style, a darker rock with the party over now.
Laura Cox’s Head Above Water is a polished slice of modern classic rock that shows a guitarist fully in command of her craft. The album blends Southern-tinged boogie, melodic rock, and touches of introspection, proving Cox can shift gears from stadium-ready riffs to stripped-back emotion. While not every track hits with the same spark, the record delivers enough firepower to confirm her place among Europe’s rising guitar heroes. 🎸 Turn it up, hit the open road, and let Laura Cox remind you that rock still breathes with heart and grit.
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Stream music from Laura Cox here
By Stevie Ritson