Oh God I hope Ed Laurie doesn’t read this. He must be so over the Leonard Cohen comparisons. But it’s not just Ed Laurie’s voice that reminds me of Leonard Cohen but it’s his choice of words, his delivery, and his orchestration. He’s got the backing chorus, soaring vocals, and a bit of the pretension of old man Cohen. What sets him apart from Leonard Cohen and the bulk of other singer-songwriters are his European influences, his classical and Spanish guitar styles and his individuality.
Ed Laurie’s upcoming record is called Cathedral. I don’t think it was recorded in one but the songs do have a grandiose and spatial sound as if recorded in one of England’s grandest cathedrals. As an early reviewer said:
Ed Laurie, who recorded his new album Cathedral live on a stage, complete with real guitars, strings, percussion, and the sound of breathing. Real musicians playing real instruments in a real environment, with lots of gaps and fades. This is not jackbooted music with a mechanical rhythm track. It’s all real, and it is exhilarating to listen to. This is music that seeps into you, permeates you, gently, almost hazily. Like a dream, it wants to offer you endless possibilities.
“Moment Out of Faith” video from Cathedral