Larry Ludwick - Life Lessons

Hear The Track Here

Reading between the lines, I suspect that Larry Ludwick and I have a great deal in common; musically, philosophically and in life experiences. Came as a bit of a shock then to read about his latest track (this one) 'might be my last'. Larry has been suffering from some ear problems and I for one hope that he is feeling better about that now because it is IMHO, the nightmare that haunts all of us. I wouldn't even mind being blind (much) so long as I could still hear. Like all musicians, my hearing is critical to my own personal well being and when I have problems (I've had some, I've been a musician for a long, long time) I just can't settle to anything. So, hope your problems get resolved Larry and soon because we need all the talent we can get.

Although Larry hasn't been that active on his own account lately, due to endless collaborations with one Jon Bushaway and a couple of other collaborative meisterwerks, all of which stand up to endless scrutiny but I would expect nothing less from this musician. Now I've known Larry long enough to know that this is not a musician who would be/could be tied to any one particular genre. In fact, I don't think he has followed one style for any more than one track in all the time I have known him. The really irritating fact here is that in every genre, the man stamps his own style and that is a hard trick to follow.

Life Lessons sees Larry donning backpack, battered hat and heading out to Alternative Country, although I'm not quite sure about the country bit. I've always found Larry a painstaking songwriter, where every element backs up each other, with a story that has a beginning, a middle and an end. Where all this falls down is in Larry's presentation. Like a lot of home produced musicians, I have found that Larry Ludwick is an acquired taste - at least for some people. I suspect that I have become very used to his sound and take it into account when reviewing his material. There is a comparison I've made before and I make it again now, his sound and style is very Leonard Cohen although his vocal certainly isn't, so if you like intelligent songwriting maybe you could get a taste for Larry's material too. Overall, I think I warmed more to the subject matter than the song itself, not really my kind of thing. No disputing the quality though.

Recommended Alternative Country (but not Yeeeaaahhhhland)