Search - LaRue :: Larue

Aileen R. (aileen) from N HOLLYWOOD, CA
Reviewed on 8/15/2008...

If you enjoy contemporary Christian music you'll really like this CD. I bought it because of 'Waiting Room', but found that the whole CD is just as good, every song. Haven't had an album like that since Green Day's 'Dookie' or Smashing Pumpkins' 'Siamese Dream'. This is a very talented band, and the female LaRue's voice is amazing. I recommend buying it. -J. Sweeten (Amazon.com)

One of the top five of 1999

Chris Gooley | Anchorage, AK | 02/25/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm becoming a regular reviewer of Christian albums here on Amazon.com, So I've decided to create some order to my reviews in hopes that I can be more useful to you the surfer. :-) Here goes...THE ARTISTS: LaRue is a brother/sister Christian music duo. They are both teenagers (apparently very close in age). This is their first album, released in 1999 on Reunion Records (the home of "The Great One" Michael W. Smith). THE ALBUM: To be blunt, LaRue is quite possibly the greatest thing to happen to the "rock side" of contemporary christian music in years. These two are young and fresh, with their own unique sound, and their music is bursting with creativity as well as quality. These two have the musical talent to catch the ears of ANYONE, no matter what their beliefs... What's more... they have personally penned all the songs on this album (no recycled second-hand songwriting here). This album is full of hope, but at the same time indisputably real. THE VOCALS: Philip and Natalie have two very distinct (and different) vocal styles. Natalie's is the hardest to describe. Her voice is young and extremely fresh; I believe it to be unique among female artists. Philip seems to put more of himself into the music (he's seen holding a VERY sweet guitar in one of the booklet photos). His voice reminds me at times of that of the lead singers from Better Than Ezra (secular) or Smalltown Poets (christian), both excellent soft rock voices with a bit of grit. But only at times; Philip very clearly also has a style all his own.Their two voices blend together with an almost-perfect balance of togetherness/individuality. I really like what I hear from both of them.THE MUSIC: Most albums that try to blend the edgyness of rock with the approachability of contemporary end up splitting their albums between the two styles (Even "The Great One" has been guilty of that sometimes). But Philip and Natalie LaRue have managed to create their own special corner inbetween the two styles. I think it's near-impossible to compare their music to that of ANY other single artist (my best attempt: the first four bars of "Someday" bear a resemblance to Natalie Imbruglia's "Torn")... Their music style combines the best elements of several groups and styles. But their arrangement and delivery is too original to categorize.FAVORITE SONG(S): Probably "Someday", a song about the longing almost all of us have for that one perfect person to share your life with. I attempted to express in words here just what this song says, but it's impossible for me to do it. Listen to the sound clip, or better yet buy the album! The first two radio hits off of LaRue were "Waiting Room" and "Reason". These two songs had the catchiest radio-type tune, but the entire album is of equally-high or higher quality.FOR WHAT TASTE: I can only speak personally, but those who enjoy the likes of Smalltown Poets, Caedmon's Call, Eli and Jennifer Knapp will probably find LaRue to their liking.THE FINAL WORD: LaRue conveys several artistic necessities that Christian music sadly doesn't convey enough... passion that shows honesty and faith that doesn't ignore reality. These guys are in a word, fantastic. Get their album, you won't be disappointred."

An honorable debut with some room for improvement

kaylafaith | Morgan Hill, CA United States | 11/12/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"LaRue truly deserves the buzz their debut has received. For starters, thir voices are more than impressive. Phil LaRue has a beautifully easygoing and listenable tone to his voice. Natalie's voice is incredible, deeply textured but never over the top.The siblings tackle many issues on the cd, and for the teen age target group, they do it well. All the tracks were written as a collaboration between both, and the feat of 10 self penned songs on a debut before they're 18 is impressive. But that talent has some obvious growing room left. If you like lyrics like my smile appears upside-down/i guess then it's called a frown ("Fallen King") then be my guest. If you need lyrics that are a little more interesting, this may not be the cd for you.The only other possible flaw here is that the melodies of the songs are often alike, and they tend to run into each other. It is difficult to tell one song from the other in some spots. There should be a new cd coming from LaRue soon, and I'm excited about it. I am guessing that it will show a lot of growth from them."