Seattle's Rosie Thomas had a good thing going with last year's Sub Pop debut When We Were Small, and she's smart enough not to mess with it here. Only With Laughter Can You Win is filled with the same hushed, dreamlike tones as her debut and Thomas still has that same wistfully beautiful voice that can make you fall in love with her from a distance.
Production values owe far more to the '70s folk movement than anything in the past decade, though this is a version of the '70s in soft-focus and draped with a gauzy layer of room noise and atmospheric touches.
If there's a weakness here, it lies in Thomas' choice to write virtually all the songs in the first person. It's an effective choice in small doses but one that takes away from the universality that was a great strength of her first disc. That's really a fairly minor issue however, as the writing is still very strong and the performances possess a hushed beauty entirely Thomas' own.
Other coverage for this album
Decapolis November 2003Reviewed by Tom BastianFor a singer/songwriter to really appeal to a mass audience it often seems as though they need some personality trait that sets them apart from the rest of the talented musicians out there creating music. For anyone who has seen Rosie Thomas live they would know what I'm talking about when I say that Rosie has what it takes to set her apart. Not only does she have the voice of an angel, but she…The Phantom Tollbooth 2003Reviewed by Trae CadenheadOne of the most striking of last year's debut releases was When We Were Small from a virtually unheard of singer / songwriter named Rosie Thomas. On that album, she proved her value as a songwriter and showcased one of the most soothing, beautiful voices in music. Only With Laughter Can You Win is the follow up to that album. This album finds Thomas stretching herself a bit musically. This is…Similar sounding releases
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