A lush, introspective ballad finds its visual soulmate in an evocative new video
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Pamela Laws isn’t afraid to take her time. Fresh off her 2023 album The Ones I Love, where she steeped herself in Texas roots and vintage storytelling, her latest single You Are Beauty sees her returning to the groove-driven, emotionally rich sound she’s been crafting for years. With echoes of Kris Kristofferson’s narrative depth and the rhythmic pulse of her collaborations with GTO and Bob Brockman, Laws brings a new kind of weight to the singer-songwriter landscape—one that lingers long after the last note fades.
The song itself is a slow-burning plea wrapped in silk. Co-written and recorded with Jack Petruzzelli (Joan Osborne, Patti Smith) and Will Bryant (Neko Case, Rachael Yamagata), You Are Beauty balances between longing and surrender. It’s a meditation on love, not as something neatly packaged but as an open-ended question—one that Laws delivers with hushed reverence. The arrangement is deceptively simple, with atmospheric interludes and rich textures threading through her melody like brushstrokes on a canvas. Every line aches with an almost defiant vulnerability: Why not dive too deep / In a pool of love / Pushin’ for more / When I’m already beat.
And then there’s the video. Directed by Tracey Yarad and edited by Sam Miller, the visual companion to You Are Beauty is as intimate as the song itself. There are no grand gestures, no sweeping cinematics—just the artifacts of two people’s quiet moments together. Barry Cole, a veteran music supervisor (Brown Sugar, Rustin), co-stars, but the real protagonists are the ghosts of time spent: a half-empty tea cup, a blanket left strewn, a world built between two lovers in the spaces others might overlook. It’s an understated yet deeply affecting portrayal of the way connection leaves its mark—not just on our hearts, but on the everyday objects we touch.
What makes You Are Beauty resonate isn’t just its sonics or visuals, but its refusal to wrap love in a perfect bow. “There is no bow, nothing tied up in a neat knot,” Laws has said of the song. That openness—both emotionally and narratively—is what makes it feel so essential. In a time where love is often commodified, packaged for playlists and quick dopamine hits, Laws reminds us that the most profound moments are often the quietest.
Her upcoming album (expected in 2025/2026) promises to explore love from every angle—through the eyes of a lover, a mother, a daughter, and a friend. If You Are Beauty is any indication, we’re in for something truly special.
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