Single Review: Laura Jean Anderson - 'Silence Won't Help Me Now'

A powerful new release by Laura Jean Anderson, “Silence Won’t Help Me Now”, deals with the frustration of being held back by the fact that she’s a woman.

The song starts in straight away with Anderson’s singing and continues to build up, exposing her striking vocals and the deeply personal conceit behind it. "The song started with how frustrated I felt being told I can't do what I want as a woman. Once the election happened that feeling of frustration heightened and I felt like my hope dwindled, like I'd never be heard or understood. So I finished the song as an anthem to speak up - a personal pep talk to stand up for the things I believe in." The title of the song is similar to that of the book of essays written by Audre Lorde based on the same ideas. To me, this is a definite winner and I’m sure I will be listening to it on repeat for a while.

Raised strictly Mormon, Anderson began by singing in a church choir during her childhood, then realised that music was more than just a hobby, turned to song writing, performing and eventually was accepted to California Institute of the Arts to study Classical Voice. Now, after self-releasing a collection of songs in 2016 titled ‘Righteous Girl’, Anderson is continuing to write new music, including “Silence Won’t Help Me Now.”

While we wait for the new releases, Laura Jean Anderson will be playing a headline show in Los Angeles on the 19th of April.

Words by Jesse Wells