“The way Sweaty Lamarr lets the emotions she taps into configure stories in the form of music feels so natural and authentic to us as listeners.”
Sweaty Lamarr, music project of Tara Giancaspro, stepped outside of her comfort zone of Rock on her EP ‘A Little Bit C*ntry, A Little Bit Rock And Roll’. She steps into the persona of a country singer fantastically, producing six tracks with amazing beats and vocals.
The EP opens with Sweaty Lamarr’s June single ‘Abbey, I’m Sorry I Stole Your Man’, setting the country tone with striking vocals you just know would sound incredible performed live, singing with great momentum every time the chorus approaches. ‘Brass Ring’ opts for the same catchiness, but the perspectives sang on each song are quite the opposite. Tara goes from singing that she was ‘dazzled by a calloused hand’ to referring to her relationship as an ‘obstacle’ her husband ‘hadn’t tied up yet’. The drama referenced in this album emphasises the emotion in Sweaty Lamarr’s vocals, and is only one aspect of her extensive creativity when making music.
‘Dorothy No More’, on the other hand, shows another side to Sweaty Lamarr’s music. It’s less upbeat, but just as filled with emotion and engrossing lyricism. The lyric ‘I’ll make rainbows of your bleak expectations’ in particular stands out to me, and feels like the epitome of the feelings distributed on the song. With ‘Both Feet’, I decided to read the lyrics before listening, and if looking at words telling the pain of wanting to go back to the one you love, but can’t bear to lose your dignity you gained from leaving wasn’t heartfelt and heartbreaking enough, the guitar in the instrumental is just as melancholically beautiful. On top of this, we get to see such a soft and raw side to the upbeat vocals we heard previously. The versatility here is insane.
Second to last track ‘It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels’ starts with an intro featuring a classic singing voice of a man. Suddenly the rhythm shifts abruptly, and Sweaty Lamarr is channelling true country rock feels. The instrument is vibrant, and so is her voice. The feel-good flow seems so natural and free, making the song really fun to listen to.
‘Both Feet (Clean)’ then takes us back to the emotive euphoria we experienced with Sweaty Lamarr on ‘Both Feet’, this time adding a little change of the words. It was a great way to end the EP, with the most passionately sorrowful song, both lyrically and instrumentally. Each song on the album allows us to look deep into multiple perspectives through the beauty of a good tune.
You can listen to the EP here: