The blonde-haired and blue-eyed Lissie Maurus started stealing hearts last year after the release of her EP Why You Runnin’. Since then, a number of successful online covers and on-stage duets with Ellie Goulding have caused the American’s fan base to grow considerably. But whereas Ellie is a soft, sparkling sequin of a singer, Lissie is a true Midwestern country girl, with mud on her jeans and grass in her hair. Illinois-born, she’s two parts Stevie Nicks to one part Sheryl Crowe, with a dash of Johnny Cash, and topped off with a smattering of freckles and a whole lot of tequila.
But there’s more to her than just cornfields and pickup trucks. She also cites Snoop Dogg and musicals such as Blood Brothers and Miss Saigon as influences. It’s perhaps no surprise then that that she seems a little unsure about how to define her music, describing it as ‘indie-folk-rock-soulful-heartfelt kind of music’. That’s probably the best way to categorize her debut album, Catching A Tiger.
From the first clattering notes of “Record Collector” to the final throbbing remnants of the beautiful “Oh Mississippi”, Lissie’s raw, passionate enthusiasm pours out and fills your ears and hearts. She leaps eagerly into the album, saturating the first three songs with emotion and scattering crashing crescendos. We’re granted a brief respite with the gentle “Bully”, before Lissie pulls us back onto the dance floor with the foot-stomping, thigh-slapping, “Little Lovin'”.
The album starts to lose some of its initial momentum after the halfway mark; “Loosen The Knot” ties itself up in a mess of bland and rather generic-sounding guitar, while “Cuckoo” struggles to get off the ground. But thankfully it’s rescued by Lissie’s soaring vocals, which shine through the dreamy “Everywhere I Go”, reflect off the waters of “Oh Mississippi”, and accompany her as she rides off into the sunset.
