Last week, Gibson endorsee and Les Paul stalwart Laura Cox unveiled her third album, Head Above Water.
Released via earMusic (home to such legends as Al Di Meola, Joe Satriani and Paul Gilbert) the LP sees the French guitarist exploring new genres while staying true to her rock and roll roots.
Following up 2019’s Burning Bright, Head Above Water is the next step in a self-styled career that has seen Cox progress from internet guitar sensation to world-class recording artist.
Having picked up the acoustic guitar at age 14, the young maestro switched to electric guitar within a year and later began sharing cover videos on YouTube.
While attracting millions of views online, Cox formed her own band and released her debut album, Hard Blues Shot, in 2017.
Comprising eleven tracks, Head Above Water traverses the roots of rock and Americana while showcasing Cox’s outstanding guitar prowess with powerful riffs and ripping solos.
“For this album, I really wanted to not limit myself to the guitar, and I wanted to create new textures,” she told Guitar World. “It was a bit hard because I wanted to release an album that’s coherent.
“The more we were recording and thinking about the songs, the more I’m thinking, Okay, I really like the songs that should be more on the harder side. But I really want to also add some that are softer, and we have to find a way to link those.”
Described by earMusic as “musically the most significant of her work to date,” Head Above Water was created in the thick of the global pandemic.
Recorded by Erwin Autrique at ICP Studios in Brussels this hard-hitting album was mastered by Grammy-winning engineer Ted Jensen (Eagles, Norah Jones, Green Day).
And in this exclusive Guitar Player video, the guitarist shows us up close how she plays the main riffs from her single, “So Long.”
Strapped with her favorite electric guitar – a 2019 Gibson Les Paul Junior – Cox uses Positive Grid’s Bias FX to glean some mean hard rock tones.
Order Laura Cox’s Head Above Water here.
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