Larue

LaRue | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 8, 2000)
• Original Release Date: February 8, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Reunion
• ASIN: B0000457F2
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #108,480 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the top five of 1999, February 24, 2000

By 

Chris Gooley (Anchorage, AK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Larue (Audio CD)

I'm becoming a regular reviewer of Christian albums here on Amazon.com, So I've decided to create some order to my reviews in hopes that I can be more useful to you the surfer. :-) Here goes...THE ARTISTS: LaRue is a brother/sister Christian music duo. They are both teenagers (apparently very close in age). This is their first album, released in 1999 on Reunion Records (the home of "The Great One" Michael W. Smith). THE ALBUM: To be blunt, LaRue is quite possibly the greatest thing to happen to the "rock side" of contemporary christian music in years. These two are young and fresh, with their own unique sound, and their music is bursting with creativity as well as quality. These two have the musical talent to catch the ears of ANYONE, no matter what their beliefs... What's more... they have personally penned all the songs on this album (no recycled second-hand songwriting here). This album is full of hope, but at the same time indisputably real. THE VOCALS: Philip and Natalie have two very distinct (and different) vocal styles. Natalie's is the hardest to describe. Her voice is young and extremely fresh; I believe it to be unique among female artists. Philip seems to put more of himself into the music (he's seen holding a VERY sweet guitar in one of the booklet photos). His voice reminds me at times of that of the lead singers from Better Than Ezra (secular) or Smalltown Poets (christian), both excellent soft rock voices with a bit of grit. But only at times; Philip very clearly also has a style all his own.Their two voices blend together with an almost-perfect balance of togetherness/individuality. I really like what I hear from both of them.THE MUSIC: Most albums that try to blend the edgyness of rock with the approachability of contemporary end up splitting their albums between the two styles (Even "The Great One" has been guilty of that sometimes). But Philip and Natalie LaRue have managed to create their own special corner inbetween the two styles. I think it's near-impossible to compare their music to that of ANY other single artist (my best attempt: the first four bars of "Someday" bear a resemblance to Natalie Imbruglia's "Torn")... Their music style combines the best elements of several groups and styles. But their arrangement and delivery is too original to categorize.FAVORITE SONG(S): Probably "Someday", a song about the longing almost all of us have for that one perfect person to share your life with. I attempted to express in words here just what this song says, but it's impossible for me to do it. Listen to the sound clip, or better yet buy the album! The first two radio hits off of LaRue were "Waiting Room" and "Reason". These two songs had the catchiest radio-type tune, but the entire album is of equally-high or higher quality.FOR WHAT TASTE: I can only speak personally, but those who enjoy the likes of Smalltown Poets, Caedmon's Call, Eli and Jennifer Knapp will probably find LaRue to their liking.THE FINAL WORD: LaRue conveys several artistic necessities that Christian music sadly doesn't convey enough... passion that shows honesty and faith that doesn't ignore reality. These guys are in a word, fantastic. Get their album, you won't be disappointred.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing debut, June 21, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Larue (Audio CD)

Okay when one takes into account that both Phillip and Natalie are in their teens, its hard to believe they produced such a powerful album without help. Yet each track is written exclusively by this brother and sister duo. This first album from LaRue displays the beginnings of an edge and maturity later found in their third album "Reaching". Nonetheless the music is catchy and the lyrics are moving. Natalie's voice seems out of place in one so young, it has a depth and range most older vocalists crave. The lyrics are powerful in some songs and somewhat whimsical in others. "As She Cries" stands out as my absolute favorite on the album, it's impossible not to be moved by the sad melody and awesome lyrics, about the love and peace that is to be found in Jesus. Tracks like "Star" display a sense of independence and a refusal to fit the norm so rare in today's youth. "Someday" stands as a touching song about waiting for the one you love and that God has intended for you. Many artists have attempted to sing about abstinence but this moving track stands out as a powerful statement for waiting for marriage. While this isn't my favorite album by the duo it's still an amazing debut and great start to finish.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars an honorable debut with some room for improvement, November 11, 2000

By 

"kaylafaith" (Morgan Hill, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Larue (Audio CD)

LaRue truly deserves the buzz their debut has received.

For starters, thir voices are more than impressive. Phil LaRue has a beautifully easygoing and listenable tone to his voice. Natalie's voice is incredible, deeply textured but never over the top.

The siblings tackle many issues on the cd, and for the teen age target group, they do it well. All the tracks were written as a collaboration between both, and the feat of 10 self penned songs on a debut before they're 18 is impressive. But that talent has some obvious growing room left.

If you like lyrics like my smile appears upside-down/i guess then it's called a frown ("Fallen King") then be my guest. If you need lyrics that are a little more interesting, this may not be the cd for you.

The only other possible flaw here is that the melodies of the songs are often alike, and they tend to run into each other. It is difficult to tell one song from the other in some spots.

There should be a new cd coming from LaRue soon, and I'm excited about it. I am guessing that it will show a lot of growth from them.