Stuart McLamb may be just one person, but he's created a vast musical universe with his project the Love Language. McLamb wrote, recorded, and performed the fourth Love Language album, 2018's Baby Grand, largely by himself, but it hardly sounds like the work of a one-man band. As on his previous albums, McLamb is a sure hand in the studio who knows how to make his music sound as big as all outdoors, and Baby Grand feels enormous, full of multiple keyboards, chiming guitars, deep bass, and massed vocals, and despite its widescreen scope, Baby Grand rarely sounds overstuffed. McLamb's songs work well on a big canvas, and he gives himself all the space he needs here. At the same time, McLamb's super-sized arrangements and production are usually at the service of songs that often deal with broken hearts and emotional uncertainty, and it's impressive how he manages to keep one foot in each field. Baby Grand is full of irresistible pop numbers, like the subtly soulful "Juiceboxx," the anthemic "New Amsterdam," and the explosive "Castle in the Sky," and this is as effective a fusion of the joyous and the mopey as you're likely to hear this year. Baby Grand was recorded during a period of transition for McLamb, as he ended one relationship and started another while leaving North Carolina for California, and this is clearly reflected in the songs as new beginnings and sorrowful memories make themselves heard in the lyrics. And "Let Your Hair Down" is a reminder that, along with his other skills, McLamb is a hell of a singer. Baby Grand is as ambitious as we've come to expect from the Love Language, and as successful in its grasp of thoughtful, artfully crafted pop music. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

1		Frames
2		New Amsterdam
3		Southern Doldrums
4		Juiceboxx
5		Shared Spaces
6		Paraty
7		Independence Day
8		Castle in the Sky
9		Rain/Delay
10		Let Your Hair Down
11		Glassy
12		Midlife (Demo)
13		Cellophane (Demo)

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