Music Review: Lauren Marcus Puts the Bubble In Bubblegum With Her Tasty Body Positivity Single SKINNY & BLONDE

Heigh Ho, dear lovely rainbow tribe, welcome back to Bobby’s CD sandbox where we offer our broken-down breakdowns of new music releases. So, strap in and get ready, as Bobby goes on the record ABOUT the record.

This week’s music entry in the BobbyFiles comes from Multi-talented (Multi-hyphenated!) powerhouse Lauren Marcus (BE MORE CHILL), who just released her latest single, SKINNY & BLONDE, on all the platforms and who will give the tune its live introduction during her residency show at Rockwood Music Hall on Sunday, November 12th at 7 PM (Click HERE For Tickets). The song is a peppy paean to positive body imagery without being preachy about your protoplasm. In fact, it is heart, and soul, and talent that Ms. Marcus has in truckloads, and that is what the song is about - “Talent isn’t bones and bleach and it ain’t no magic wand bein’ skinny and blonde,” her self-penned lyrics admonish throughout her song. This tune (which she also wrote - are you getting the picture, darlings?) is retro with a message, without being stodgy, and is totally danceable - perfect for housecleaning and chores music.  Well, it is also perfect for your playlist while walking to the subway or driving to pick up the kiddie winkies from Pre-K.   The truth is, dahling readers, the Magical Ms. Marcus has hit one out of the park with this single, and it all starts with the sound.  When we are looking at a radio hit (and this retro recording belongs on the radio… like a transistor radio with a foot-long antenna, propped up against your beach umbrella), the first thing that people will notice is the sound.  

And SKINNY & BLONDE sounds sensational.

Missy Marcus has written a good old-fashioned bebop song, and she, a singing ACTRESS, can make her voice do anything and go anywhere.  So when La Lauren went into the studio to record, she went ever-so-slightly pop star with her tone and timbre, sometimes a little Lauper, others a bit of Bette, and always a LOT of Lauren.  This is a Broadway voice but it’s modern-day Broadway, so Lauren can make it go any way she wants.  The vibe with S&B is all joy, will a rainbow thread of defiance in it - and the defiance is where Lauren’s lyrics come in.

It is very clear from the sentences being sung that Lauren Marcus has some thoughts and opinions on what social media and social constructs are doing to the people of the world: pressuring them into a mental state by demanding that they be something and someone other than exactly who they are - YUCK!   For little Bobby’s money, there aren’t very many people working the cabaret rooms and recording studios (or the theatrical stages) who are better equipped to talk about originality and staying true to yourself than Lauren Marcus.  The Queen of All Things Individual, Lauren Marcus always stands out.  As a performer, as a person, as a fashionista, Lauren Marcus is into individuality, and it isn’t something she has calculated.  She was just born an original, a diva with a heart, a talent tsunami with social consciousness.  And when she decided to write a tone poem about not letting social media take us over and staying true to your own self, the most authentic way for her to do it was to strap on her dancin’ shoes and do the pony around the house, which is exactly what you will all want to do, my dearlings, when you play SKINNY AND BLONDE.  Even though there is a message of truth in the tuneful 60’s style beat, the track is pure Rock & Roll before it went hard, the kind you just wanna dance to - it could be called Bubble Gum but with loads of flavor.  And who doesn’t love bubble gum and flavor?   That’s Lauren Marcus in all her wonder, whether it’s this single or any other project… but, right now, it’s all about this single, and since Bobby has been dancing around the house to it all day long…

This one gets 5 Out Of 5 Rainbows

 

You Can See And Hear Everything About Lauren Marcus On Her Webbysite: HERE

Check Her Out On The Gram: HERE

Look Up Her YouTubes (Where the song's Video Will PRemier In A Few Days): HERE

Ande Followe On Ye Olde FaceBooke: HERE

CREDITS & THINGS

Skinny & Blonde was recorded at NYC's Power Station. Produced and mixed by Ian Kagey. Mastered by Oscar Zambrano. Arranged by Charlie Rosen. Guitar: Mike Rosengarten. Bass: Matt Scharfglass. Drums: Jeremy Yaddaw. Piano: Rob Rokicki. Saxophone: Josh Plotner. Trumpet: Danny Jonokuchi. Trombone: Becca Patterson. Wurlitzer: Lauren Marcus. Vocals: Lauren Marcus. Backups: Katie Lee Hill, Natalie Walker, Amara Brady, Hana Slevin.

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