Lauren Monroe

Singer-songwriter Lauren Monroe is releasing her solo debut album, “The Freedom Sessions,” in January 2008.
Produced by drummer Rick Allen of Def Leppard, “The Freedom Sessions” is a haunting and raw mix of acoustic rock, blues, country and pop. The 10 original songs are the culmination of a life-long journey of transformation for the New York City-born vocalist, songwriter, musician and teacher.
Writing songs since age six, Lauren discovered another talent at age eight – channeling healing energy through her hands to help sick classmates feel better. Lauren’s gifts eventually led her on a global knowledge quest, training with Benedictine monks and tribal healers in Brazil, Mexico, North America, New Zealand, and India, and have influenced her songwriting and performing ever since.
After getting her start playing acoustic music in San Francisco and later performing throughout the United States, Lauren moved to Boulder, Colorado, where she formed her band, Coy Kindred. They toured the Western United States playing their uniquely gritty, sawdust-on-the-floor blend of rock, blues and funk at theatres, festivals and saloons. The Debut Release of The Freedom Sessions tracks a spiritual and emotional awakening, with Lauren’s smoldering voice anchoring experiences of longing and power:
Into your eyes/Across the lake
Into all your darkness/Shine On me
Into the blaze/Into the wiser
Into the Sea/Shine On me
Shine On me ~ BLAZE
“When I sit down with a guitar, there are moments of stillness in which I am guided to visually experience the words coming through me,” Lauren says. “ ‘Blaze’ is a “visual and experiential prayer” remembering a spiritual moment in time.”
The country-tinged acoustic Americana of tracks like “By My Side” reflects Lauren’s roots in country and folk. “My grandfather was a fiddler who taught me to play guitar,” Lauren says. “As a storyteller, I connect to the simplicity of folk and acoustic music, and ‘By My Side’ has a real American country feel that I liked exploring.”
With The Freedom Sessions, Lauren Monroe has stepped into her true nature as an artist, a healer and a storyteller. Her music shares the spiritual truths she has learned – to continuously let go, to be in the moment, and to love. The soulful “Love Won’t Let Me Down,” is about the courage to believe in love, Lauren says. “When we’re down and feeling alone, it’s easy to forget about love,” she says. “But this song, is an absolute refusal to become cynical or pessimistic. The message is love.”