Weekly RecommNeds | Jesca Hoop & Dawn Landes
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It’s a pity how pretty I feel…
Jesca Hoop : Undress
There is a beautiful sparseness to
Jesca Hoop
’s new album,
Undress
, the kind of elegant brevity that you might find from a singer whose very name is a minimalist rendering and an album whose title evokes a stripped-down sound. And once stripped bare, it is the small details that come into fine focus and the album is full of them. Beautiful folk songs are shaded perfectly with little guitar curlicues. Even better are the two part harmonies with a variety of guests. The fact that two of these duets are with Erika Wennerstrom (Heartless Bastards) and Sam Beam (Iron & Wine) – two of my very favorite vocalists – doesn’t hurt.
Spotify:
Rhapsody:
Dawn Landes : Bluebird
Sometimes all it takes is one great song to turn your day/week/year/life around. The title track on
Dawn Landes
‘s newest,
Bluebird
, fits the bill perfectly. The melody, Landes’ first-sign-of-morning-sunlight voice, the graceful acoustic guitar and the lyrics combine to create a song for the ages. Luckily, it’s the first (and best) of an album full of folk-alt-country-pop gems, exuding warmth and simplicity. It’s possible you won’t like this album. It’s also possible you have no soul.
Spotify:
Rhapsody:
