On the inside of his album cover, singer/songwriter Greg Laswell writes, "All my songs deal with the same things these days: pain, lies, faith, guilt, and loss." While these adjectives can be used to describe a multitude of sappy songwriters, the tone on Laswell's debut record, "Through Toledo," is surprisingly sans angst-especially considering that his inspiration for the album was the event of his wife's abandonment.
Laswell said that he awoke one morning to find a void where his wife had been, accompanied by an overwhelming sense of nihility. Laswell seemingly alludes to the incident in several of his songs.
"On High and Low," he sings, "I'm going to see some friends from out of state / the very trip that you were supposed to take a while ago / but it fell through, like all of you." The intimate lyrics on "High and Low," are complemented solely by Laswell on piano.
"Amazed,"chronicles Laswell's futile attempt to escape his own life. Drove by my life the other day / it looked like it was over since you went away, he sings. With a dilatory start and an explosive chorus, it is easily the album s best track.
With its mellow beat, the album's title track, "Through Toledo," is slightly reminiscent of Coldplay. Laswell's lyrics delve into the mind of a depressed individual yearning for hope.
"Another hum drum grey day / I can't make shape or form of this new emotion." The song ends on an optimistic note, however. "Maybe I'll head out for a movie / The day is always so bright after a matinee / Wouldn't you say."
All 11 songs on "Through Toledo," were written, produced, recorded and mixed by Laswell himself. Throughout the album, Laswell can be heard on the guitar, piano and drums. Laswell also designed the album's artwork, with the help of Andrew Heine.
The album's inset was also written by Laswell, who provides an aside about the first single, "Sing, Theresa Says." Laswell reveals that the character Theresa is a reference to his grandmother, who asked him to sing happy things.
"All of my memories of her are happy ones. To try and explain her here would not do her justice. I will say that she was the most delightful grandma that anyone could ever hope for. I always felt like a prize that she had earned at the end of a very hard life," Laswell said.
Hopefully Theresa is contented with her grandson's tribute because happy songs are very much lacking on this debut album.
Laswell is currently being featured as a nominee in Yahoo!'s "Who's Next," competition. Fans are encouraged to log onto Yahoo!'s website and vote for their favorite upcoming artist. Previous winners of the competition include James Blunt, Matisyahu and Panic at the Disco.
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