Drawing upon the gospel, old soul, and rock n roll records that she grew up with, Laura Burhenn will unveil What We Lose In The Fire We Gain In The Flood (April 27, Saddle Creek), her debut album as The Mynabirds. Despite her small size and the clean sound found in her work with Georgie James, Burhenn shells out an enormously rich and husky voice on her new album. Her vocals color the vivid imagery of her lyrics, many of which were inspired by a Zen look at ideas of loss and recovery. Whether upbeat or introspective, Burhenn remains soulful and honest at her core. She simultaneously harnesses the charm of contemporaries Cat Power and Feist, as well as the fervor and magnitude of iconic influences Nina Simone and Grace Slick.
Following the breakup of DC duo Georgie James, Burhenn turned inward and truly found her voice. In the spring of 2009, she crafted a new batch of songs and enlisted singer-songwriter/producer Richard Swift to help the material come to life in the studio. The Mynabirds, inspired by the name of a forgotten Motown Records band that included Rick James and Neil Young, is the project that emerged from these sessions.
The album also includes some notable guest artists. Tom Hnatow (These United States) played pedal steel, Nate Walcott (Bright Eyes) arranged the horns on the album and backing vocals were provided by Orenda Fink (Azure Ray) and engineer/producer AJ Mogis (Monsters of Folk, Cursive, Tilly and The Wall).
As The Mynabirds, Burhenn walks a fine line between deep contemplation and absolute joy. Dark and light, old and new, and soft and loud – all work in tandem to create a truly dimensional record that is rich emotion and perfectly in balance.
