Leeann Skoda - “Little Star”
Photo by Jacob Boll
There are times when you know you’re going to like a song simply by reading its description. So when we saw that LA-based Leeann Skoda’s “Little Star” was labeled as a “slow-march, indie-folk lullaby about not having all the answers,” we were immediately on board.
This track comes from her EP, Living Room Sessions, due out on May 26 and the most important part here, other than the release date, of course, is the phrase “living room.” If you throw a rock at our blog, you are bound to hit an article that describes the music as something that sounds like it’s being performed right next to you. It is simply one of our favorite things about these more raw, indie folk offerings. So what we are encouraging here is that you slip into some comfortable headphones, close your eyes, and imagine Skoda performing in the same room of wherever you are… because this is exactly what “Little Star” sounds like.
This is a barebones performance and, from what we understand, it is simply Skoda and two of her friends, Dylan Rodrigue and Sie Sie Benhoff, literally recording live in the living room of Malachi DeLorenzo. It’s a reasonably sparse production, with the acoustic guitar starting things off, before Skoda joins in with her delicate vocal work, but what really widens out the listening space are the harmonies of Rodrigue and Benhoff– seriously quite majestic and the perfect time to listen with eyes closed (unless, of course, you are driving). If you ask us, this is quite refreshing since many artists will overdub their own harmonies– not that there’s anything wrong with that.
But “Little Star” is raw as all hell, with every room sound, breath, and string squeak left completely intact– proof that it was made by actual human beings. And though the acoustic guitar is the only instrument here, Rodrigue demonstrates dynamic playing, naturally lifting when Skoda’s vocal crescendos with the harmonies. It’s the kind of track that makes you long to have been a fly on the wall while it was being recorded.
As a reminder, Living Room Sessions will be available on May 26 and it will contain a stripped back and emotional version of Mariah Carey’s “Can’t Let Go,” which we are more than happy to include right here:
-TM