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Lawrence
Chang: When So Late Becomes So Early
Lawrence Chang is a singer/songwriter with a degree in Electrical Engineering from M.I.T., and that strange dichotomy shines through in Lawrences debut effort. It is sort of geeky at moments and a bit awkward musically, but full of the yearning spirit of a secret artist looking for some relief from the cold, almost inhuman world of university science departments and the post-graduation jobs to which they lead. Lawrence, who was an award-winning playwright while at M.I.T., excels at crafting lyrics. The poetic title of his album only hints at the many little gems scattered throughout the twelve songs found here. For instance, in Mere Miles, which tells the oft-told story of long-distance lovers drifting apart, Chang manages some lovely lines to describe his frustration and confusion regarding the situation hes found himself in: How can distance / be stronger than love? / How can mere miles / harden our hearts? And in the immensely personal and original Burden of the Second, Chang powerfully addresses the overwhelmingly high expectations placed on those born in America to immigrant parents: Tell me, wont you tell me? / Say you came for adventure. / Say you came for the movies. / Say you came for the freedom. / Just dont say you did it all for me. . . . / Thank you for everything thats all I can say. / This burden of the second its a little hard to repay. Chang is also a competent acoustic player, having spent years perfecting his technique in church, and when he doesnt try to stretch it too far, his voice suits these songs just fine. But Lawrence makes the mistake of going for broke on this album, playing every single instrument (including bass, drums and keyboard) himself, as well as engineering and producing the entire album on his own. There are several instances where the instruments fail to line up with one another rhythmically, taking away from the songwriting and doing a number on the ears. Moreover, the album has a sonic samey-ness that might have been avoided had other people listened in on the project. Rather than spreading himself thin and assuming roles for which he is clearly not equipped, Chang would be better off concentrating on his strong suits (guitar, vocals, lyrics) and letting other people contribute their own unique talents to his work. As it stands, the album verges on being too amateurish to fully appreciate. Still, When So Late Becomes So Early has a certain sweet charm about it, and one cant help but get behind this would-be poet as he attempts to escape the monotony of day jobs and circuit boards and find a little beneath-the-surface soul in this world we all call home.
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