This next review is my second
Sarah Jarosz review in just eight albums. Good thing I like her music.
Disc 1004 is…Undercurrent
Artist: Sarah
Jarosz
Year of Release: 2016
What’s up with the Cover? Holy crap – it is the fifth Giant Head cover in a row. While
the Giant Head theme has provided some variation (Alice Cooper went with just
eyes, and here, Jarosz’s Giant Head is framed to the right) there is no denying
a Giant Head conspiracy is upon us.
Fortunately,
Jarosz’s Giant Head is a lot more pleasant to look at than Alice Cooper’s, even
when it is obscured by hair.
How I Came To Know It: I just told the tale of how I
discovered Jarosz when I reviewed another one of her albums (“Follow Me Down”) back
at Disc 996 so go check that out for the details. The short version is I
discovered her through another bluegrass artist, Aoife O’Donovan.
How It Stacks Up: I have three Sarah Jarosz albums, and while
they are all new to me, “Undercurrent” is my early favourite so I’m ranking it
at #1. Sometimes you just gotta take a stand.
Ratings: 4 stars
“Undercurrent”
is Jarosz’s most recent album and easily her best to date, showing her growth
as a songwriter, singer and instrumentalist. There is a maturity in this record
that reveals Jarosz’s old soul, despite her being only 25 years old.
While
Jarosz’s traditional training is evident throughout the record, “Undercurrent”
takes the flourishes of jazz, pop and blues I noted on 2011’s “Follow Me Down”
and better integrate the different styles into something that is unique to her.
She reminds me favourably of Lera Lynn, with a bit of Sarah McLachlan pop and
Heather Masse folk thrown in.
Artists
often gain confidence in their singing after a few albums, and that is the case
here, with Jarosz maintaining a lovely sweet tone, sometimes breathy and
sometimes bright, depending on what the song calls for, without ever feeling
like she has to belt it out or over-sing to make her point.
The
record opens with “Early Morning Light,”
a song featuring some sublime guitar picking from Jarosz. Whether playing
guitar, octave mandolin or banjo, Jarosz has a style that is rich and
attention-grabbing. She serves the song first and foremost, but the skill she
displays is impossible not to notice, with a mix of controlled energy and easy
flow. While I first fell in love with her mastery of the octave mandolin, on “Follow
Me Down” it is her guitar work on “Undercurrent” that grabbed my attention. On “Take Me Back” she manages to capture
that elusive big sound that approaches Mark Knopfler in both style and
delivery, while never being derivative of his work.
Jarosz’
songwriting is also top-notch on “Undercurrent” capturing the nuance and
heartache of relationships at the crossroads on “Early Morning Light” and “Still
Life” with an honest confusion about where to turn, and the wisdom to know that
is a normal state of being in these moments.
“House of Mercy” reminded me of
mid-career Bob Dylan, and I can see why she features Dylan covers on her
earlier albums. On “Undercurrent” she spreads her wings and writes her own Dylan-type
songs instead, again without feeling derivative. “Back of My Mind” sounds like Sarah McLachlan. In this case maybe a
bit too much, but the song is so good I forgive it all.
The only
slight misstep for me is “Green Lights”
but my issue here is the production, which is a bit too lush and takes away
from Jarosz’s vocals and mandolin playing. It is a minor quibble on a pretty
amazing record.
The
album ends with “Jacqueline”, a
haunting track inspired by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. I’m not much of a fan of
the whole JFK story. I grew weary of the idolization of what was a pretty below
average president many years ago and I’ve never understood the fascination with
Jacquie O. either. However, Jarosz draws out the vulnerability of the first
lady so well I not only sympathize with her, I felt like I was seeing her for
the first time, through the power of the song. Pretty impressive, given that
Jarosz was only three years old when Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis died.
Jarosz
has gotten better and better with every record she has released, and “Undercurrent”
represents yet another high water mark in her development. This is a record
that has me excited for what she’ll do next.
Best
tracks: Early
Morning Light, Everything to Hide, Comin’ Undone, Take Another Turn, Lost Dog,
Take Me Back, Jacqueline
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