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Lisa Loeb
The Purple Tape
(Furious Rose)
First Appeared in The Music Box, January 2008, Volume 15, #1
Written by John Metzger
Mon January 21, 2008, 04:50 PM CST
Lisa Loeb has had the sort of career about which many up-and-coming
songwriters can only dream. In a sense, she has fueled the hopes of and paved
the way for independent artists across America and around the globe. The story
behind her ascent has become something of a legend. After her pal Ethan Hawke
slipped a copy of Stay (I Missed You) to director Ben Stiller, Stiller
decided to use it in his film Reality Bites. The single hit the top of Billboard’s pop charts and sold a whopping 750,000 copies. Loeb subsequently
was nominated for a Grammy and was dubbed best International Newcomer by the
Brit Awards. Amazingly, as all of this transpired, she wasn’t signed to a major
label and had yet to issue a proper debut.
Over the course of the next decade, Loeb managed to remain in the spotlight,
though this has had more to do with her creative marketing than it did with the
albums that she released. Although her output has been consistent, the changing
face of pop culture has left her and her peers without much support. To pick up
the promotional slack, she has appeared in both television shows and movies.
Most notably, she hosted a program on the Food Network with then-boyfriend
Dweezil Zappa.
In an attempt to revitalize interest in her music career in anticipation of a
new album that is due later this year, Loeb followed her 2006 retrospective The Very Best of Lisa Loeb by picking through her back catalogue for
rarities to release. Her EP Cherries, for example, pieced together a
handful of obscure bonus tracks, but it’s her latest endeavor The Purple Tape
that likely will grab the most attention. For years, fans have been clamoring
for the set to make its long overdue appearance on CD, and immediately upon
hearing it, newcomers to the collection will understand why such a ruckus was
raised.
Preceding Tails by a full three years, The Purple Tape is the
album that Loeb not only sold at gigs but also used as her calling card before
she was a star. Despite its stripped-down ambience, however, it hardly sounds
like a demo. In fact, although she later revisited many of the collection’s
tracks — Snow Day, Do You Sleep?, and Hurricane, among them
— it is on The Purple Tape that she sounds most comfortable delivering
the tunes. This is, after all, how they were meant to be heard. Gone are the
electric guitars and crisp production techniques that increasingly have
cluttered her work. Instead, Loeb presents her songs precisely as she would have
done when she frequented the stages of New York City’s intimate coffeehouses and
clubs during the early ’90s.
Throughout The Purple Tape, Loeb sings and performs with confidence,
and her songs are filled with honest, emotional introspection. Although there is
an air of sensitivity to her lyrics, some semblance of toughness also is
present. While this contrast was muted, at least in part, by the fuller
arrangements that were utilized on her albums, The Purple Tape, which
features just Loeb and her acoustic guitar, gives it plenty of room to shine.
Her voice exudes innocence, but her guitar alternates between building and
dissipating the tension in her work, adding turbulence and beauty wherever they
are needed most.
Initially, it might appear as if the bonus disc that accompanies The
Purple Tape is geared mostly toward Loeb’s biggest fans. Containing an
hour-long interview that was conducted by Andy Denemark, the program provides a
wealth of biographical information as well as insight into both her career and
the songs that she recorded for the endeavor. In addition, Loeb openly shares
her experiences on how to make an album and survive within the music industry.
When taken in full, the dialogue and performances add a lot of value to The
Purple Tape by bolstering whatever appreciation one has for the set.  ½
The Purple Tape is available from
Amazon.com. To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
Click Here!
For UK orders, please
Click Here!
Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2008 The Music Box
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