MJ Lake is a versatile artist, drawing from rock, folk, and Americana styles to create an eclectic, yet cohesive album. Lake’s introspection and outward-looking reflections are laced throughout the album, making it an honest and vulnerable experience for the listener.
The title of the album, Falling From The Floor, is taken from the second track, “Hard To Hit The Bottom,” where Lake sings “it’s hard to hit the bottom, baby, when you’re falling from the floor.” This clever turn of phrase is both self-deprecating and reassuring, in that it’s hard to get any lower than rock bottom if you already feel like you’re down and out on the floor. Maybe things aren’t good, but they also can’t get worse. Lake toes this line between hope and realism beautifully, supported by a gritty guitar solo and slow, grooving drums that help the emotion stand out even more.
Recorded live at Orchard Studios in North Salt Lake City, you can definitely feel the special energy of a live performance in every song. This is especially true in the slower ballads like “We Can Pretend,” where the intimate vocals make it feel like you are right there in the room with Lake.
“Loose In The Backseat” is a standout on the album. Grungy guitars and foreboding electric riffs heighten the nostalgic, bordering on regretful, theme of reflecting on childhood in the context of American culture. Lake feels like life used to be safer and more neighborly before the divided communities of today’s cultural landscape. This track is a sentimental display of how life feels much simpler as a child, as well as a testament to Lake’s ability to turn common experiences into meaningful art.
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