Review: Sarah White’s Laughing With Ghosts (Release Show Thursday!)
The last 5-10 years of music exploration has unearthed something that no one in the world would ever be unearthed. We got a D’Angelo album about 13 years after the hypnotic and woozy “Voodoo,” Fiona Apple would come back after a 7 year hiatus purring out an album that would be way better than her last, and Maxwell returned after an 8 year silence. If there is a local equivalent to that, it would be Sarah White. Originally an integral member of Traditional Methods and Black Blondie, it has been a great while since she put out anything project-wise until her EP “Hiding Blind” came out in 2008, and her 2011 album “Space Madness.” With this new EP “Laughing at Ghosts,” her first solo outing in five years, Sarah White proves that she is a gifted vocal chameleon amid a myriad of different styles, and wasting nary an effort to traverse through sonic soundscapes with the greatest of ease.
The lead-off single “Siren” utilizes lively percussive elements and laser-like guided synths, while Sarah speaks on themes of the falsehood of love and the need for self-care, while the airy, sunny and aquatic synths of “Huesos,” and the spacious, yet percussively cavernous “Sweet Song,” sounds like the perfect songs for spring infatuation and summer love to flourish fully. However, one would be remiss to not mention the ethereal and breezy duet between White and former Malamanya/VANDAAM vocalist Lady Midnight who provides an excellent assist on the standout “Ghost.” The closer on this EP, “August,” is an excellent and inspirational bookend to this brief EP that runs no longer than 20 minutes, but it’s guaranteed to have you hitting repeat endlessly.
Sarah White has yet to lose any edge or step, as she is able to shape and shift her style among the countless scores of talented people, and if “Laughing At Ghosts” proves anything, it proves that patience is a virtue, and in addition, it’s why you wait on genius minds like Sarah White to help put it all into perspective.
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Sarah White will have a release party for her EP “Laughing At Ghosts” on Thursday, March 31st at Icehouse. Joining Sarah White on stage will be Dizzy Fae and Lady Midnight holding down the opening duties. DJ ANDTHATSBREON will be providing jams during the evening’s proceedings, while Mica Mary Jane will be hosting. Tickets are $8 in advance, and $10 on the day of the show. Doors are at 9:30pm, and the show will start at 10pm. This is a 21+ show.
— Ali, @egyptoknuckles
