Album Review: Grant-Lee Phillips – ‘Ladies’ Love Oracle’ (Yep Roc)

Right around the time he became known to TV audiences as the town troubadour on Gilmore Girls complete series, former Grant Lee Buffalo frontman Grant-Lee Phillips began establishing himself as a solo singer-songwriter. Cold Case box set His first solo outing, 2000’s Ladies’ Love Oracle, House series dvd is as far from his alt-rock past as it’s possible to get — with the exception of “Squint” and the reissued version’s Scrubs dvd box setbonus track “Snowflakes,” there’s nary a drum kit anywhere in sight on the entire album, and most songs find Phillips’ ghostly voice backed Desperate Housewives dvd box set by little more than his own acoustic guitar and some subtle, atmospheric keyboard touches. Gossip Girl 1-2 dvd box set While this stripped-down sound likely had to do with the songwriter wanting to reinvent Criminal Minds dvd box sethis artistic personality after striking out on his own, he couldn’t remove his songwriting fingerprints; the office dvdalmost all of the tunes bear the kind of Beatley melodic arcs and naked emotional intensity that bones dvdpowered Phillips’ GLB work. Subsequent albums would find him exploring fuller production and edging closer to a rock-oriented sound, Seinfeld seasons dvdbut the stark beauty of Phillips’ solo debut is immediately arresting.