Reviewed by Ian Phillips.
By Amber Lawrence, ABC Music/Universal Music Australia 2019.
Spark is Amber Lawrence’s sixth studio album and the 10 songs on it reflect a maturing artist who has entered a new phase in her life after her wedding and the birth of her son.
As Amber says; “Spark is a happy, fun, album, it’s energetic – but there’s some really honest and heartfelt songwriting in there too.”
I think that this is her best album to date and that’s probably because she is in a particularly happy and stable period of her life, albeit a very busy one.
It’s been almost three years since her last solo release, Happy Ever After, and in that short time Amber has released two children’s albums, The Kids Gone Country and Aussie Aussie Christmas; released a collaboration with Travis Collins, Our Backyard; won three Golden Guitars; performed her original work 100 Year Handshake in New York for the US President; co-hosted the 2019 Golden Guitar Awards; began hosting her own radio show; met and married the love of her life; and gave birth to a baby boy, Ike, in August 2018.
She is a talented young woman who doesn’t do things by half measures.
The album was written by Amber in various locations as she travelled between Australia and Nashville and it basically chronicles her life over the last three years.
It was produced by ARIA-nominated producer Stuart Stuart of Analogue Heart Studio who has produced work for the Veronicas amongst many others.
The songs are catchy country pop in style and once you listen to them they seem to keep running around inside your head.
The term ‘earworm’ is very appropriate for this album.
The album gives us an intimate insight to Amber. I Get It Now is a lovely song about the special relationship she shares with her mother and Everlast and Hell To Hallelujah are both declarations of love for her husband.
To coincide with the release of Spark Amber is touring Australia through to November with venues and dates on her website.
