ALBUM REVIEW: Will Lawrence - Rooftops in the Centerfold
“It’s abundantly clear that each of these eight songs was toiled over and mapped out with dedicated fervor, each one a story told both lyrically and musically.”
Nowadays, it feels more and more difficult to discover an artist determined to stick to organic, analog magic—no parlor tricks or digital alterations, just pure acoustic sound and substance. It’s what makes artists like Will Lawrence, based within the Catskills in Millerton, feel so special.
Lawrence’s pedigree as an artist extends beyond his solo career, as the drummer of popular Americana act The Felice Brothers, as well as John Early and the Lemon Squares and many more. Some people are just born to play music—Lawrence is one of them. One listen to Rooftops in the Centerfold and you’ll see what I mean.
Rooftops in the Centerfold is the multi-instrumentalist’s fifth album, an expertise which comes across in both the songwriting and the album’s production, each including a plethora of engaging choices that set it apart from your run-of-the-mill folk record. There’s not a song in the bunch that doesn’t have a surprising chord change or melody, which is not an easy feat to accomplish. It’s abundantly clear that each of these eight songs—even the brief interlude “Hilltop Zone”—was toiled over and mapped out with dedicated fervor, each one a story told both lyrically and musically.
While listening to Rooftops in the Centerfold, you also get this uncanny feeling that there’s some unique quality about it you can’t quite put your finger on. It’s unique in form, but also comfortably familiar. It clearly pulls influences from a wide variety of places—keen listeners will hear a little Josh Ritter come through in places (“Dream of Her Awhile”), Belle and Sebastian in others (“Only A Dream I Had”), and Alexi Murdoch on the more stripped down tracks. It’s these which end up being the standouts, featuring Lawrence gently picking a nylon-stringed guitar, his raw vocals front and center. “I Imagine I’ll Pretend” is particularly delightful, thanks in large part to the delicate harmonies provided by Liliana Hudgens (who also shows up in the title track). The duo’s voices pair extremely well together.
Throughout the record, there are also a number of compelling arrangement choices, with full horn sections showing up in songs like “Only A Dream I Had”, providing ample support to the swinging nature of the tune which gets your feet tapping involuntarily. “Yellow Moon” has similar, jazz-like tendencies, with its brushed drums and hard-panned, doubled vocal tracks a la Elliott Smith (though admittedly, less quivery). For the most part however, the arrangements stay consistently within Lawrence’s comfort zone of folky instrumentation, the songwriter himself taking on the majority of the performances.
And then there’s the album’s closer – a stunning finale that grabs your heartstrings from the first picked notes of Lawrence’s trusty guitar. “True Love Don’t Disappear” may be the simplest song in the bunch (dare I say) but it also ends up being the most impactful. It’s a song that stops you dead in your tracks, images of flowery fields in springtime and outdoor wedding celebrations conjured up like paintings on the inside of your head. It’s slightly ironic, as I find myself looking out at the first steady rainfall we’ve seen in weeks, but a line like “Even when we’re gone and only dust here, true love don’t disappear” really delivers a feeling of hope, like the proverbial rain inside us all is fleeting if only we devote more time and attention to those we love and who love us back. As a songwriter, I’ve always found it most difficult to write an honest-to-goodness love song that doesn’t sound cheesy or phony. It’s, for better or worse, much easier to convey negative emotions. But Lawrence nailed it here; it’s a masterpiece.
If you’re a fan of easygoing folk music that has the tendency to surprise you—think Dawes or Milk Carton Kids—Rooftops in the Centerfold is simply a must-listen.
Rooftops in the Centerfold is out now via Triangle House / Sophomore Lounge Records on all major streaming services and Bandcamp.
