While artists at the pinnacle of the market have the luxury of releasing a greatest hits album at an opportune moment, those further down the food chain have to be more creative when it comes to taking stock of a career and releasing something retrospective. Anna Elizabeth Laube is one such artist and no doubt hopes that ANNAMANIA is a conduit to a prosperous future. Regardless of their commercial status the songs chosen for this reflective collection of a recording career stretching back fifteen years are all 'hits' in an alternative universe where substance trumps style.
This is epitomised by Laube's standout song 'Sweet Boy From Minnesota' which shone like a beacon when released on her self-titled album in 2015 and sits proudly as the opening piece on this collection. It is joined by two others from ANNA LAUBE (for keen observers released prior to the inclusion of the middle name to either formalise matters or make them grander).'Already There' and 'Oh My! (Oh Me Oh Me Oh My) join the aforementioned standout track to represent this album and join a further ten songs from both a back and present catalogue.
The word present is used because three of the tracks are songs that haven't appeared on a Laube album before. This interesting trio includes a beautifully curated cover of Tom Petty's 'Time to Move On' and an earthier fuller number in 'I'm Gone', one that has been featured in a TV series and offers a different feel to most of her material. The most pleasing member of this trio is the delightful 'Jardim da Estrela', and a song that punches its way into the album's 'A' class. Most importantly it signals that there is plenty of life in the creative pen of Anna Elizabeth Laube and indicates that after this period of reflection a prosperous future of new material may be on the horizon. By naming this song after a park in Lisbon, we get an insight to the continental influences of a much travelled singer-songwriter who though now back in her Wisconsin home has rarely set down roots in a long roaming career.
Back to the retrospective material and there are three further albums where tracks are drawn from. The oldest of these is OUTTA MY HEAD from 2006 and the rawer blues-infused style of 'If You Build it' and 'Beautiful Boy' distinctly highlight how her sound has evolved over a career of many miles. The next album represented is 2009's POOL ALL THE LOVE POOL ALL THE KNOWLEDGE. Although not acquainted with this album, it doesn't require too much thought to realise why the infectious 'Hippie Boyfriend' made the cut.
Bringing us almost up to date, four tracks are added from the most recent release TREE including the title piece, 'All My Runnin'', 'Sunny Days' and another favourite off the record - 'Please Let it Rain in California Tonight'. All are worthy entrants and go a long way to defining what an articulate and accomplished songwriter Anna Elizabeth Laube is.
Like many classic folk-inspired contemporary singer-songwriter albums, piano frequently takes centre stage and is the perfect accompaniment for the work of an artist blessed with a talent of beautifully spinning a song. ANNAMANIA may be a brash title, but Anna Elizabeth Laube has every reason to take enormous pride in the work she has produced.
