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James Lanman
• The Guesthouse Sessions

James Lanman.  Haven’t heard that name yet?   Well let me introduce you to your new favorite musician.

In February 2008, Lanman hit the music scene with his debut album Asphalt Roads.  A read through the blogs on his myspace page (which are quite funny and eloquently written by the way) will give the readers some insight into Lanman’s determination behind his first release.   It may not have been recorded with fancy equipment or with a famous producer but it definately was a well put together release.

The album consisted of thirteen tracks that ranged anywhere from catchy club tracks to heartfelt songs sure to make all the girls swoon, although Lanman’s smile alone would probably do that.  The diversity of the tracks makes the album easy to listen to over and over again without getting bored.   While the album has many absolutely beautiful moments, there are some places where it has a debut album feel to it.   For other artist, an album as captivating as Asphalt Roads would be something to aspire to but after listening to it I still felt like there was potential for Lanman to do even better.

Lanman’s newest EP, The Guesthouse Sessions certainly proved my instincts to be dead on.  The EP features two new tracks, three remakes from Asphalt Roads, and a cover of Crazy Love by Van Morrison.   The remakes are where you can see the biggest jump in Lanman’s writing talent.   I think it says a lot for an artist to be able to take a track that was good to begin with it and transform it into something new that fans will still love.  Meg and Dia do that for their songs for each tour and that is exactly why I keep going to see them.

Categorizing Lanman’s music would be a bit of a challenge.  Listening to songs from either albums remind me of all different kinds of musicians.  At some points it fits in the veins of people like Gavin Degraw and The Honorary Title while at others the songs also have a very gothic feel that I would put more in line with The Smiths and Heavens.   These albums could be for fans of about any genre of music.  Okay maybe not rap so much.

Currently Lanman is based out of California (and possibly working on the score for Homeward Bound 4).  I was lucky enough to catch Lanman’s show in Seattle earlier this month with local musician Gabe Mintz.  Sidenote, Mintz is a musical genius.  Check him out.  To quote Lanman’s praise, “Gabe Mintz is savage.”  Lanman hopes to tour in Portland later this summer.  Keep an eye on the show listing sections here on King Banana for more information.

While I was writing this review I was listening to the EP on repeat trying to pick out one song as the you-have-to-listen-to-this track.  Honestly, I cannot pick just one.  The EP is FREE at www.jameslanman.blogspot.com Why wouldn’t you check out every track?

You can thank me for helping you find your new favorite artist below.  Just saying.  Hey, leave us a comment telling us what track is your favorite though.  I’m sure Lanman would love to see what Portland wants to hear when he comes through.