By Sylvie Marie & Staff
Leslie Craig's "Volume 1" opens with the song, "Rock Star." Commencing with chunky electric guitar and heavy hitting drums, the band lays it down for Leslie's earthy, warm vocals. Painting a vivid picture of the Rockstar life, this county-blues-rock song talks about life after the lights go down. You can just see the hotel room with it's empty beer bottles and day old pizza. It's a hard-knock life, but when the band sounds good, it's all worth it. And you can bet your last dollar that Leslie Craig and her band sound damn good. The descriptive lyrics add a touch of American rock while the highly memorable chorus has a classic rock vibe. Background vocals add a nostalgic touch. Leslie performs this number like a true rock star.
Simmering down after the high-octane opener, the second song on the EP, "Always the First One to Run", highlights Leslie's expressive and warm vocals through a powerful, tear-jerking ballad. The ever-expressive singer brings it home in this moving, broken-hearted love song. Played in 6/8 time, this performance is intimate. "And though I love you, you are nothing but heartache so I had to let you go." This is a song about someone who is non-committable, yet expects you to stick around waiting.
"How Do Ya' (Unlove Somebody) hits the ground with a grooving rock jam. Nimble finger mandolin fills and electric guitar solos keep this track is hot. Elevating the timbre of the instrumental arrangement, Craig infuses her vocals with riveting, bluesy soul. The chorus is catchy as hell and highly relatable. "How Do Ya" will have your foot tapping with an amazing by Leslie and the band.
The last song on the EP is "Paper in Fire." A driving beat moves this song forward with the intensity of a blues locomotive. Thumping, pedaled bass lies at the center like a pulsing heartbeat while metallic guitars soar above with wailing melodies. Singing about getting close to your dreams then having them burn up like paper in fire, Leslie's vocals are smoking with a pleasant gritty texture that really makes this song rock.
In "Volume 1", Leslie Craig exudes authenticity and artistry. She can bring you to your knees with a tender love song and belt out a blues jam like it's nobody's business. Every song sounds like it has been fully lived. Leslie is the real deal. There's nothing pretentious about her music. She sings what she lives and she sings what she feels leaving listeners in a state of total awe.
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About Leslie Craig
Hailing from St. Louis, Missouri, Leslie Craig is a singer-songwriter who writes music influenced by rock, dance, country, and blues. Leslie is a lifelong musician and singer whose many years of performing experience included everything from duos to ten-piece bands, singing every genre of music. She was a resident at the world-famous Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, where she performed 5 nights a week and was joined onstage by Hank Williams Jr., Kris Kristofferson, Gavin DeGraw, Kix Brooks, Bobby Brown, and Jake Owen, among others. Tootsie's featured Leslie in their 50th anniversary concert at The Ryman Auditorium, where she shared the stage with Kristofferson, Jamey Johnson, Little Jimmie Dickens, Mel Tillis, and Randy Houser, to name a few.
While in Nashville, Leslie met Grammy producer Billy Smiley and the partnership resulted in Leslie's first full-length album, "Wild Card", which was released on iTunes in April 2013 and features 12 songs, 7 of which Leslie wrote or co-wrote.
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