Record Reviews

Laura Scarborough

Chapter One: Desire

Somewhere between soul and jazz, in the space between sultry pop, R&B, and serene torch songs, Austin pianist/chanteuse Laura Scarborough explores the emotional peaks and pits of sexual desire on her debut CD. A classically trained pianist, Scarborough sounds it, her notes singular and clear, her blues tempered by technique, her every phrase steady and deliberate. On her Chapter One: Desire EP, she puts many performance formats on display, from solo keyboards to the electric combo of her Project. Where the first song, "Desire," is soul and sex, slithering the scales in a dance that well explains its title, the second, "Moment v/s Tomorrow," is silk and jazz, a steady groove built of sharp, even time and the smoother-than-Yoo-Hoo trumpet contribution of Ephraim Owens. And he's not the only distinguished visitor on this affair: Drummer Earl Harvin makes his presence felt, as do locals John Siebenthaler on bass, and Spencer Gibb on guitar. Brannen Temple, Rob Kidd, and Scarborough herself also take turns at the drum kit, in a rotation that maintains the steady, steady tone of the whole EP. Steady as desire. And chapter two?