Everything

On her anxiously awaited fifth album Northern California singer Lara Price gives her fans what they have been craving-a taste of everything. Price is a ubiquitous fixture in the San Francisco Bay Area music scene, packing clubs and filling dance floors for a decade. But her most ardent fans know that while she may be playing in a blues club one night, on another it could be a venue for jazz, rock, soul or gospel. Her past albums have clung tightly to the blues scene, for which she is best known. But "Everything" is a labor of love, on which she gets to strut her stuff and show off her roots in the eclectic styles of music she grew up with. While most major labels force artists to stick to only one type of music, to help market their discs, "Everything" gives fans a spin down the radio dial letting them sample a variety of styles played by California's top musicians. Price can jump from Aretha to Ella to Etta to Janis in the blink of an eye, and she knows her fans don't only listen to one station on the radio. Their iPods and stereos are packed with variety. This is her gift to those music lovers who like to spin the dial and hear a bit of everything. Take a good listen and I think you'll agree. On this superlative disc, Price hasn't given just a little bit, she's given everything. --Brad Kava- DJ and Music Critic KSCO Radio, Santa Cruz.