Who is Lisa Loeb - (Singer)

The Purple Tape is the album that Loeb not only sold at gigs but also used as her calling card before she was a star. Despite its stripped-down ambience, however, it hardly sounds like a demo. In fact, although she later revisited many of the collection's tracks - Snow Day, Do You Sleep?, and Hurricane, among them - it is on The Purple Tape that she sounds most comfortable delivering the tunes. This is, after all, how they were meant to be heard. Gone are the electric guitars and crisp production techniques that increasingly have cluttered her work. Instead, Loeb presents her songs precisely as she would have done when she frequented the stages of New York City's intimate coffeehouses and clubs during the early '90s.

Throughout The Purple Tape, Loeb sings and performs with confidence, and her songs are filled with honest, emotional introspection. Although there is an air of sensitivity to her lyrics, some semblance of toughness also is present. While this contrast was muted, at least in part, by the fuller arrangements that were utilized on her albums, The Purple Tape, which features just Loeb and her acoustic guitar, gives it plenty of room to shine. Her voice exudes innocence, but her guitar alternates between building and dissipating the tension in her work, adding turbulence and beauty wherever they are needed most.

Initially, it might appear as if the bonus disc that accompanies The Purple Tape is geared mostly toward Loeb's biggest fans. Containing an hour-long interview that was conducted by Andy Denemark, the program provides a wealth of biographical information as well as insight into both her career and the songs that she recorded for the endeavor. In addition, Loeb openly shares her experiences on how to make an album and survive within the music industry. When taken in full, the dialogue and performances add a lot of value to The Purple Tape by bolstering whatever appreciation one has for the set.

Excerpt from The Music Box Album Reviews

The endearing naiveté and frothy, indie-rock guitar of her debut album, Tails, have been replaced on Firecracker by staid arrangements and lackluster riffs. Loeb's songwriting and delivery haven't aged as much as she apparently thinks they have, either - at least not enough to allow her to pull off a meandering mantra such as "I was restless/I was restless/I was restless/I was restless" on the cloying "Wishing Heart" (a track that, incomprehensibly, lifts the intro guitar lick of the Who's "Pinball Wizard"). Still, Loeb occasionally manages to infuse life into her tenuous song structures: With its dense harmonies and sledgehammer hooks, the opening track, "I Do," has the makings of a decent AM-radio sing-along. And the plaint in "Falling in Love" - "The time between meeting and finally leaving is sometimes called falling in love" - is pure, slushy pop poesy.

Firecracker might signify that Loeb's star is fading; it's equally likely, though, that this second album is merely the sound of a songwriter stumbling toward adulthood with a sophomore's two left feet. Loeb's chops should improve with practice; whether or not she herself is going to grow up remains to be seen. (RS 774)

Excerpt from The Rolling Stones Music Reviews

Loeb has a beautiful voice and is a talented instrumentalist. While it took five years for her to release this album, for Loeb fans it was definitely worth the wait. She has not been particularly innovative with regards to style; "Cake and Pie" is similar to her other albums, rather than representing a true growth as an artist. However, since Loeb has always been smart and interesting, she did not need to evolve in order to make a great album. To use her food terminology associated with the album, "Cake and Pie" is definitely worth a large helping.

Excerpt from the justiceonline.com

Folkie Lisa Loeb has followed the lead of other adult-music artists (including Kenny Loggins and her co-pilot on this album, Elizabeth Mitchell) in making a disc of children's music that can be enjoyed by all ages. Some of the songs are lyrically pitched exclusively to the toddlers (e.g., the traditional number "Little Red Caboose" and the traditional adaptation of"Big Rock Candy Mountain") while others are a tad more sophisticated (a nicely revamped version of "Oh Susanna" and a lovely take on Bob Dylan's "New Morning"). Then there is the laudable ethnic content: "La Manita" (Spanish traditional), "Donguri/Rolling Acorn" (Japanese traditional), and "Fais Do Do" (French traditional). The original song "Stop and Go" is a "rocky" participation number and tons of fun, while "Catch the Moon" (also original) is dreamily poetic. And there's never been a tenderer version of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" than the one found here. The songs are rendered in a folk/country acoustic minimalism that is, in a word, enchanting. And the CD comes encased in a children's board book written by Erin Courtney and illustrated by Bonnie Brooke Mitchell. Catch the Moon is a record that the young ones can enjoy (or go to sleep to) while also being entertaining for the rest of the family, even after many plays.~ Adrian Zupp, All Music Guide

Excerpt from Artist Direct

Lisa Loeb had only one big hit and it was with her first single "Stay (I Missed You)" -- a tune that took her from obscurity to minor celebrity when it was included on the soundtrack of Reality Bites. Although she never had another smash hit, "Stay" was hardly the end of her career: she continued to release records every few years, racking up five additional chartings singles that usually appeared in the lower reaches of Billboard's Hot 100, and a bit higher on their Adult Top 40 charts: 1995's "Do You Sleep?," 1996's "Waiting for Wednesday," 1997's "I Do," 1998's "Let's Forget About It," and 2002's "Underdog." All six of those charting singles, along with album tracks and significant soundtrack contributions (like "How," which wound up on both the Twister soundtrack, where it was originally intended, and on Jack Frost the Michael Keaton classic about a jazz musician who is reincarnated as a giant talking snowman so he can set things right with his son), on 2006's The Very Best of Lisa Loeb, which also includes the brand new "Single Me Out," the theme song from her '06 reality show #1 Single. While Loeb never strayed very far from the sweet, gentle template she laid down with "Stay (I Missed You)," she always was friendly, melodic, and rather ingratiating. These qualities are better heard on The Very Best of Lisa Loeb than on her proper albums, which can tend to be a little samey and sugary. Those tendencies aren't completely absent here, but distilled to her best songs, Loeb is an endearing folk-pop singer/songwriter, as this enjoyable collection proves. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Excerpt from The Artist Direct Music Reviews