Lake Street Dive
Known for their playful, cross-pollinated blend of neo-soul and
pop/rock, Lake Street Dive have built a loyal fan base, weaving in
elements of jazz, folk, and funk. Showcasing vocalist Rachael
Price, Lake Street Dive emerged from Boston's New England
Conservatory in the mid-2000s and drew early praise for their
exuberant live shows and inventive original songs. They garnered
further buzz with their 2012 covers EP Fun Machine, reinterpreting
songs by George Michael, Hall & Oates, and the Jackson 5. The
band's sound furthered gelled on 2014's Bad Self Portraits, which
cracked the Top 20 of the Billboard 200. 2016's Side Pony brought
even more attention, landing on top of three Billboard charts,
including Top Rock Albums, Folk Albums, and Alternative Albums.
Formed in 2004, Lake Street Dive features singer Rachael Price,
guitarist/trumpeter Mike "McDuck" Olson, bassist Bridget Kearney,
and drummer Mike Calabrese. The group originally met while they
were all students at Boston's prestigious New England Conservatory.
However, prior to joining the band, Price (daughter of composer and
conductor Tom Price) had already gained notice for her jazz
singing. On her own, she released several independent albums and
earned accolades, including reaching the semi-finals of the 2004
Thelonious Monk Institute Vocal Competition. Naming themselves
after an infamous street known for its numerous "dive bars" in
Olson's hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Lake Street Dive
initially bonded over their love of jazz, soul, and country music.
Combining their shared influences into an arty melange, they issued
two independently produced albums with 2007's In This Episode...
and 2008's Promises, Promises. After singing with Signature
Records, they released a self-titled effort in 2011. However, it
was with 2012's Fun Machine EP that the group really started to
grab national attention. Featuring their imaginative cover versions
of songs like Jackson 5's "I Want You Back" and Hall & Oates'
"Rich Girl," Fun Machine caught on online, spotlighting the group's
spirited, organic knack for soulful pop. After an exhaustive
touring schedule that found Lake Street Dive playing hundreds of
shows across the United States and around the globe, they followed
up with 2014's full-length Bad Self Portraits. Featuring the wry
"selfie"-referencing title track, the album hit number 18 on the
Billboard 200. In 2016, Lake Street Dive moved to Nonesuch Records,
and released their fifth full-length album, the Dave Cobb-produced
Side Pony. Named after bassist Kearney's preferred hairstyle, the
album hit number one on three of Billboard's charts, including
Alternative Albums chart, Top Rock Albums, Folk Albums, and peaked
in the Top 30 of the Billboard 200. Coming off the road again, Lake
Street Dive returned to the studio, and in 2018 delivered their
sixth album and second for Nonesuch, Free Yourself Up.
Self-produced in Nashville, Tennessee with engineer Dan Knobler,
the album included the singles "Good Kisser" and "I Can Change."
Also in 2018, they issued the EP Freak Yourself Out as part of
Record Store Day. ~ Matt Collar Similar artists
Albums
10
albums sorted by Most acclaimed
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Alternative & Indie - Released May 4, 2018 | Nonesuch
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Alternative & Indie - Released November 23, 2018 | Nonesuch
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Booklet
This Black Friday exclusive EP from the soulful Bostonian indie pop quartet features five tracks recorded during the sessions for their 2018 album Free Yourself Up, but which didn't make the final cut. Sure to be a treat for fans, it showcases more of their unique blend of adventurous, soul- and jazz-inflected pop. ~ John D. Buchanan
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Alternative & Indie - Released February 19, 2016 | Nonesuch
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Booklet
Alternative & Indie - Released April 3, 2018 | Nonesuch
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$14.49
Alternative & Indie - Released May 4, 2018 | Nonesuch
Booklet
While Boston's Lake Street Dive have always had a soulful, R&B-influenced sound, they've boiled it down to a pure, honestly delivered essence on their sixth full-length album, 2018's heartfelt Free Yourself Up. Having honed their skills studying jazz at the New England Conservatory of Music, the members of Lake Street Dive are supremely talented performers who balance their respective strengths throughout the album. In fact, although she's often in the background on-stage, bassist Bridget Kearney (who released her own solo album in 2017) is responsible for writing almost half of the album's songs, and earns co-writes on several more. Many of her compositions display a subtle yet incisive feminist energy that helps lend the band a uniquely personal perspective. On "Good Kisser," she admonishes an ex-lover who can't keep from talking to others about their affair, saying "If you're gonna tell them everything/Tell them I'm a good kisser/Tell them all the things you told me/In your desperate whisper." Maximizing that powerful female energy is Tennessee-raised lead singer Rachael Price, whose dusky, highly resonant vocals, reminiscent of Dusty Springfield, ground the album with a warm virtuosity. It also doesn't hurt that Kearney, guitarist Mike Olson, drummer Mike Calabrese, and touring keyboardist Akie Bermiss frame her in earthy, organic arrangements with a tactile, live-in-the-studio feel. To achieve that vibe, the bandmembers helmed the sessions themselves in Nashville with longtime friend and engineer Dan Knobler. It's a welcome shift from the somewhat buttoned-up, '60s Wall of Sound approach of 2016's Side Pony, and brings to mind the windblown '70s albums of artists like Fleetwood Mac, Rufus & Chaka Khan, Minnie Riperton, and others. The change also seems to reflect the shift in the social and political climate following the 2016 U.S. presidential election. On the cheeky, Lenny Kravitz-esque "Dude," they say they "used to kick it like Joe and Obama," and deftly touch upon notions of male privilege and the Me Too movement by asking the question, "Would you like me more if I was a dude?" Similarly, on the Kearney and Price-written ballad "I Can Change," Price sings with naked poignancy, "Forget that old adage/That history continues to keep us from the world we wanna see...fear won't rule my heart tonight." Ultimately, it's that kind of positive-minded change, both musically and emotionally, that makes Free Yourself Up such a liberating experience. ~ Matt Collar
Alternative & Indie - Released February 27, 2018 | Nonesuch
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$14.49
Alternative & Indie - Released February 19, 2016 | Nonesuch
Booklet
Centered on the warm, highly resonant vocals of Rachael Price, Boston's Lake Street Dive began their career as an eclectic, adventurous quartet just as likely to play a twangy, Fleetwood Mac song or a Hall & Oates cover as any of their own soulful, jazz- and R&B-influenced originals. However, since their 2010 eponymous debut, Lake Street Dive, which also features guitarist/trumpeter Mike Olson, bassist Bridget Kearney, and drummer Mike Calabrese, have streamlined their approach, whittling their influences down to a handful of touchstones from guitar-soaked Southern rock to buoyant, dance-oriented old-school R&B. On the group's fifth full-length album and Nonesuch Records debut, 2016's Side Pony, they've honed their sound even further, zeroing in on a vintage-inspired, '60s soul aesthetic. Named after Kearney's hairstyle, and serving as an easy metaphor for the group's unpredictable creative choices, Side Pony was recorded in Nashville with producer Dave Cobb, who has previously worked with the likes of Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson, Shooter Jennings, and others. Purportedly, Cobb requested the band come to the sessions with song sketches, rather than fully composed pieces. Furthermore, he encouraged them to crate dive for vintage LPs from which to draw inspiration, a process that may have led the band to sample Major Lance's rare 1978 Motown-side "Love Pains" for their '70s disco-era soul-sounding track "Can't Stop." While there is plenty to admire about how closely Lake Street Dive hew to their vintage-sounding paradigm, they do take some interesting side-steps on their retro journey, jumping into the Beatles-meets-Janis Joplin-sounding "I Don't Care About You," and kicking out the jams on the fuzz-toned, psych-soul anthem "Hell Yeah." Ultimately, hooks abound on Side Pony and cuts like "Godawful Things," "Call Off Your Dogs," and "How Good It Feels," with their shimmery, echo-chamber, AM Radio vibe, stick in your head about as much as many of the classic sides they are attempting to match. ~ Matt Collar
Alternative & Indie - Released February 12, 2016 | Nonesuch
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Alternative & Indie - Released November 12, 2015 | Nonesuch
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Alternative & Indie - Released January 22, 2016 | Nonesuch
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