All posts by Auburn

Rootstime Review of GOF

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Quote: “Liz Lenten, performing under the name ‘Auburn’, is a British singer-songwriter that blends Americana, country, blues and roots music in the songs on all her records. The latest album ‘Game Of Faith’ was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee and is another new masterpiece in the discography of this already during 20 years performing artist.” – www.rootstime.be

Translated into English below:

Just twenty years ago the British singer and songwriter Liz Lenten from the English county of Lincolnshire decided to set up her own music formation under the name “Auburn”. Many albums later she continues to surprise with every new album with her sublime mix of americana, country, roots music and blues in the songs. ‘Rootstime’ has been able to comment on some of those albums for you in recent years: there was “Indian Summer” in 2012 and I myself wrote reviews for “Nashville” in 2014, “Mixed Feelings” in 2015 and “Love & Promises” in 2016 All these albums came after a fairly long break in the career of Liz Lenten who only decided in 2011 to fully devote herself to creating new songs.

Also the brand new album “Game Of Faith” from “Auburn” may have been added to my package of reviewable CDs again, because even now we can only write down more positive words about the fourteen songs that Liz Lenten has recorded on this album. Because of the great diversity in her songs, her sound has been compared in the past with some widely divergent fellow singers such as Bonnie Raitt in the bluesy tracks, Dusty Springfield in the country ballads and even Norah Jones and Billie Holiday in the more jazzy and soul-inspired songs . We can confirm that subtle elements can be heard from each of these singers in the songs on “Game Of Faith”.

Liz Lenten seeks inspiration for her songs in meticulously evaluating situations, relationships, emotions and personal experiences in love and in her life. Songs like “Bad Girl, Good Woman”, “I Don’t Love Him”, “Happy Nowhere”, “It’s Not Love”, “Like I Do” and “His Arms” are new songs that all have a place managed to conquer this new album that will be released at the end of June.

The record was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee with producer Thomm Jutz, a man who had previously collaborated with, among others, Mary Gauthier and Nanci Griffith and who also took care of the three previous albums of “Auburn” as producer. The musicians who played these songs in the recording studio are Thomm Jutz on guitars, Mark Fain on bass and Lynn Williams on drums, while Britt Savage provides matching harmony vocals a few times.

Finally, we would like to add a few titles of musical highlights to “Game Of Faith”, because that is something that can be said of the songs “Trinidad”, the previously mentioned songs “Bad Girl, Good Woman”, “Happy Nowhere”,  “It’s Not Love ”, “ Float To Blue” and “Spoke In The Wheel” accompanied by twisting guitar sounds. “Craftsmanship is mastery” is a very applicable definition for this latest album of “Auburn”, the musical prodigy of the stylish British singer-songwriter Liz Lenten for two decades.

Steve Forbert Gig a Great Success

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liz live steve forbert

Thank you to everybody who turned up to watch Auburn at the weekend when we were supporting Steve Forbert. What an amazing gig it was!

We are so excited for the launch of our new album, Game of Faith and to be doing more gigs in the future. Watch this space to find out when they’ll be.

Game of Faith Review all the way from Canada

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A huge thank you to Dmitry M. Epstein for this incredibly in depth review of the new upcoming album Game of Faith.

Available to pre-order HERE now, release date 28th June.

Looking through time and finding the rhyme: anguished Americana as a means of survival.

Although it may look like a metaphor, there’s a genuine game attached to this album, with each song assigned a card character – yet the listener can safely assume they all refer to Liz Lenten who’s been leading AUBURN for two decades now. If the band’s previous work, “Love & Promises” – a telling title – reflected her happiness and anxiety, its successor comes full of heartbreak. A personal turmoil and a temporary loss of voice define the ensemble’s sixth record not only lyrically but also in sonic terms: Lenten’s new approach is arranged around her half-whisper delivery which seems to suggest a certain extent of intimacy – still, vulnerability doesn’t belong here, as Liz has chosen delicate defiance over full-on self-pity.

It’s obvious on the stark, vocals-and-strum, blues “I Drank” that’s followed by the flamenco-flavored “Prosecco-Fuelled Profiles” or on the equally riveting Catalan travelogue “Misshapen Fruit” – the most focused instance of the singer-songwriter’s craft, while the slightly feisty “Spoke In The Wheel” is lifted to the hope level thanks to Thomm Jutz’s filigree guitar. With an element of vaudeville to the alluringly smoky “Bad Girl, Good Woman” and exotic air to “Trinidad” where country meets calypso, Liz’s numbers run through styles and places, yet the hot and humid “Happy Nowhere” will fail to locate her erstwhile bliss.

Not everything is hidden in plain view here, however, the titular track’s arresting purr of a welcome turning out to be a trap whose unhurried twang wouldn’t let a player leave until the pained prayer “His Arms” dissolves the soulful shimmer behind “I Don’t Love Him” – but not before the quietly rumbling licks propel ‘Float To Blue” away from the darkness. It’s rather cathartic, this brave veneer over “Like I Do” – protective, yet somewhat exposing Lenten’s vulnerability even more. After such an album, there’s no other way than to get healed and emerge scarred if not scared.

Click here to head direct to the website.

The-Rocker Review Really Rocks!

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In the mood for some JJ Cale meets seventies Bonnie Raitt, confessional, rootsy music? Well say hello to Auburn.

Auburn is basically singer Liz Lenten who writes the songs and a hand picked team of Nashville musicians. They would be Thomm Jutz – producer/guitars (Nanci Griffiths, Mary Gauthier, Mac Wise), Mark Fain – bass (Ry Cooder, Ricky Skaggs), Lynn Williams – drums (Delbert McClinton, Lee Roy Parnell, The Wallflowers) and Britt Savage – harmony vocals (Garth Brooks, Crystal Gayle).

It’s a long way from running music groups in Lincolnshire but Ms Lenten obviously believes that only the best will do. The songs certainly come to life with such sympathetic backing while Liz adopts a semi-spoken vocal style over the top. Things never get above a slow canter but when there are songs as good as ‘I Don’t Love Him’, the bluesy ‘I Drank’ and ‘It’s Not Love’ then the one pace really doesn’t matter.

There are strong melodies throughout and anyone partial to the whole Americana vibe type thing will find an awful lot to enjoy here. Plus it would appear that “Game of Faith” has a unique strategy-based card game that will be launched with the album with each song correlating to a card. No, me neither. But it’s a good one.

See more from the rocker by clicking here

Anybody speak German?

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Auburn, Game of Faith has made it overseas and there’s a press release in German!

Do we speak German? No.

Did Google translate do a good enough job that we got the general idea? Yes.

Is that good enough for us for now? Definitely!

Check it out here