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With Timeless Turquoise, Laura Budzelek presents a new album that blends classic rock, soul, folk, and operatic pop. It’s a product of the past and yet resolutely focused on the future.
A Sound Shaped by Many Worlds
Budzelek’s classical vocal training is immediately evident. There is power, strength, and clarity in her delivery. But what makes Timeless Turquoise so compelling is the way she allows her classical training to coexist. She doesn’t try to make the fusion of genres happen; it simply does.
Budzelek was raised on classic rock and folk music, but was also exposed to soul, jazz, hip-hop, and rap. She has strong connections to Latin America, Spain, and Broadway. Her background resulted in a voice capable of soaring operatically and then returning to earthy storytelling.
The Meaning Behind the Name
The title of the album came from traveling experiences that left a mark on Laura Budzelek. After attending the “Timeless Mucha” exhibit in Washington D.C., a nod to the famous artist Alphonse Mucha, Budzelek knew that the next album had to have the word “timeless.” Her understanding of “Turquoise” was refined during stops in San Antonio and Santa Fe. A turquoise ring that Budzelek picked up in Texas, combined with the turquoise prevalent in the Southwest, helped solidify the concept.
“Timeless” to Budzelek is music that connects to people from different generations. To her, turquoise is a symbol of strength, renewal, protection, joy, and healing. Together, they are a manifesto. She hopes that listeners pick up on the symbolism and see their own strength reflected back at them.
Songs of Strength and Self-Definition
The standout singles of this album carry the emotional essence of the whole story. “I Became the Rock” seems to be an autobiographical song, the story of the oldest daughter and a compassionate nurturer who continually finds herself taking on other people’s problems and yet always comes out stronger. “I’m Done” sends a strong, clear mandate. “Cheers to Love,” which Laura Budzelek wrote at nineteen, returns to the optimism of her early days with a newfound maturity and depth of feeling.
These songs carry the album’s central theme: the strength of the spirit at every stage of life. The title song, “Timeless Turquoise,” seems to hold the emotional heart of the entire album, and it’s a tribute to her mother. She uses imagery to weave a dream catcher, round, protective, and inclusive. The music is gentle chimes and textures, and seems to breathe an atmosphere of hope and spirituality. In her lyrics, she extends her love and support to younger generations, to former Spanish and French students she used to teach. “I do not know about tomorrow,” she sings, “but I trust in the Light. It will be alright.”
The Journey
Timeless Turquoise is not only an album, but also an invitation. Laura Budzelek hopes that listeners will leave with the knowledge that they have options, faith can be rebuilt, and that one’s identity can be rewritten, no matter how much disappointment one has experienced.
With a mix of traditional form, a hint of rock, and a global approach to storytelling, Budzelek delivers a boldly titled second album. As with the gemstone that inspires it, Timeless Turquoise is an album that shines with a steadfast light.
Listen to Laura Budzelek’s Timeless Turquoise below:
