Lauren Wood

Songwriter and vocalist Lauren Wood is perhaps best known for "Fallen" (which was used in the film Pretty Woman) and her hit duet with Michael McDonald, "Please Don't Leave." Her songs have been recorded by many other artists (including Gladys Knight, Philip Bailey, Cher, Dusty Springfield, and Johnny Mathis, to name five) and have been utilized in a variety of films and television shows. She has also worked as a voice-over artist, a background singer, and as the star of her own recordings, of which Love, Death & Customer Service is her second independent CD after four albums for Warner Bros. and her early debut for Musicor. Wood has a haunting and cool-toned voice that is expressive in a quiet way, while her music, which sometimes hints at the 1960s and on a few numbers the Beatles, comes across as contemporary and relevant. The music is jazzy and funky in spots, the musicianship is excellent, when electronics are utilized they serve the music rather than the other way around, and overall the songs on Love, Death & Customer Service show that there is still life to be found in pop music. One could certainly imagine a few of these performances becoming hits. Well worth checking out. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide