Laurie Lockie and Charles King are in the second half of their lives, and they are just fine with it.
     As collaborating songwriters, Lockie, of Alpharetta, and King, of Decatur, are coming out with a new CD, entitled The Second Half, which aims to prove that the second half of your life can be just as fulfilling, if not more, than the first.
     As a young girl growing up in Brooklyn, NY, Lockie always had an interest in music. "I started singing when I was very young, I wrote my first song at the age of six."
     King was no different. As the son of Eddie King, a famous band leader and record producer from the Big Band Era, King was always around music. "My first memories are music. I started recording in 1963, writing original songs."
     After meeting through a mutual friend in the music industry, Lockie and King joined a band called the Naked Hearts Revue in 2003. "One day I asked her if she was interested in writing original music together- she said yes, which got the ball rolling," King said.
     By early 2005, the two began in the office of Lockie's house. "The first few songs came really easy- it just seemed like I heard the words and the music spoke to me," King said.
     Lockie felt similarly. "His music speaks to me, so we have a great communication going. It's important not to let ego's get in the way of collaboration."
     Taking two different point of views, the two wrote nine original songs in six months. The Second Half features one cover song. "People who I talk to that are our ages don't relate to rap music and they have to rely on oldies to express their viewpoint. Our music deals with issues that affect people who are more mature and in the Second Half of their live," Lockie said.
     Flared by a variety of musical instruments, including horns, saxophones, drums, keyboards, guitar and harmonica, to name a few, The Second Half was recorded in various studio's in Atlanta and features nine musicians.
     For more information on the CD and where you can see Lockie and King perform, visit their website at www.llckmusic.com.

Great American Music Podcast (available through iTunes)

" I host a weekly independent music podcast called The Great American Music Hour, available on iTunes and have recently discovered the music of Laura Lockie and Charles King.  This reminds me of classic American Blues and R&B.  It's music at it's best, reduced to it's basic elements, and elevated to new heights.  If you love Blues and R&B, check out this album, you won't be dissapointed.

...Jerry Jodice

Muzik Reviews

Artist: Charles King & Laura Lockie

Title: The Second Half

Genre: Blues-Rock

Label: EKM

CD Baby Link: http://cdbaby.com/cd/lockieking/from/muzikman

Website: http://www.llckmusic.com

There is a feeling and atmosphere on this recording that I am forever yearning for, and old-fashioned recording session with good music. This is blues and rock played by a man with passion and his heart in the right place along with a soulful woman churning out the lyrics as if it were the last show on earth.

Charles King & Laura Lockie bring us The Second Half, 10 tracks of the blues, interpreted, as it should be. Eight of the ten tracks are originals by the duo. One through ten are straight up gems, I cannot say anything negative about any of the tracks. Each track is something that caught my ear and deserved additional listens.

The very first track “Guilty” has a somber atmosphere hanging over it courtesy of some great organ music that provides a layer for the forlorn songstress to lay her vocals down on. This is da the blues baby, pure and simple, straight to the heart. The organ really does a nice job setting the tone as Lockie moans “I am guilty, guilty of luvin’ you,” which segues into the equally emotional music time after time. The next track “Something Good” is ablaze with King’s mean slide guitar licks, he really knows how to hammer the point home with his six-string and again Lockie does it all justice with some soulful vocals. It doesn’t end there, more of the same keeps coming at you after the soft ballad “I’ll Have To Go” gives the heaviness of the heart some more weight to carry but the music gets kicked down a few notches to let you focus on the vocals of Lockie. “Human” picks up the pace again, and it shows more of the polished side of this blues band intermingled with some rhythm and blues peppered with a smidgen of pop. So within the first four tracks, you get the entire spectrum of the blues and from that point forward, they just keep giving it up for the pleasure of your ears, heart, and soul.

Lockie’s vocals are indeed a featured element here but King’s slide guitar does not take a back seat for one minute. Both performers get equal time and divvy it up democratically and it all falls right into place just like this entire session was meant to be all along. It sure feels right when I listen to it and I get the feeling everyone that contributed to this recording felt the groove and knew something special was happening.

© Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck-http://www.muzikreviews.com

January 16, 2007