Sarah Jarosz - Song Up In Her Head reviews
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| Austinchronicle |
 For Wimberley's Sarah Jarosz, Song Up in Her Head is the calling card of triple-threat stardom: a voice of maturity at 17, instrumentalist of precision, and a songwriter of uncommon wisdom in the mold of Dolly Parton by way of Lucinda Williams. Because she's dazzled audiences on the bluegrass and folk circuit since she was 12, Jarosz's brilliant debut is neither fluke nor surprise. Like Austinite Ariel Abshire's Exclamation Love last year, much of Jarosz's appeal is youth, but that's grounded so deeply in talent that listening to her is a sweet promise for the future. Jarosz is at the bruise-tender age of innocence, illustrated by the plaintive query of a lover in "Tell Me True." "Do you think of me the way I think of you?" she pleads with caution in her beautifully sculpted voice and knowledge beyond her years in the dark lament. She draws exquisite emotion from "Broussard's Lament" and weaves alluring tales in "Can't Hide," "Long Journey," "Little Song," and, without words, "Mansinneedof." Jarosz also exercises impeccable taste in covers, tackling the Decemberists' "Shankill Butchers" and turning Tom Waits' "Come On Up to the House" into country gospel. Under Jarosz's and Gary Paczosa's production, and with help from fellow teens Samson Grisman and Alex Hargreaves, this 13-song oeuvre shouts from the mountaintops that Sarah Jarosz has arrived....full text |
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| Pastemagazine |
| Seventeen years old and already turning the heads of critics, producers, and session musicians alike, Sarah Jarosz is not only a jaw-dropping talent but a multidimensional one, as well. Her voice is clear and sweet, her mandolin playing has been good enough for long enough that she has memories of jamming on-stage with David Grisman and Ricky Skaggs at age twelve, and she plays guitar and clawhammer banjo as well. Oh, and she also writes songs -- really, really good ones. Her debut is not a bluegrass album, though it seems likely that it will end up in that section of the CD store. The songs are all originals, except for covers of the Decemberists' "Shankill Butchers" and Tom Waits' "Come on Up to the House." Some of her original compositions sound remarkably ancient, such as the vinegary and modal "Tell Me True"; others are bitingly topical, such as "Broussard's Lament" -- a song that, for all its indirectness, can only be intended as a sharp commentary on the government's bungling of the rescue and recovery effort following Hurricane Katrina. Her instrumental compositions are complex but sweetly lovely, and her twin-mandolin interplay with Mike Marshall on "Mansinneedof" is especially impressive in both its pleasant accessibility and its mature sophistication. Her acoustic arrangement of "Come on Up to the House" expresses all of the original's bluesy swagger but tempers it with a more refined sense of Southern hospitality. Truth be told, she comes close to jumping the shark on "Broussard's Lament." But if that's as close as she comes to a misstep on her debut album, then Sarah Jarosz has a long and exceptionally promising career ahead of her....full text |
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| Popmatters |
The most obvious angle at which to approach the debut of bluegrass artist Sarah Jarosz is her age, which is understandable: Song Up In Her Head was recorded when she was 17 (she turned 18 shortly before the album’s release date). That fact attracts a certain amount of interest, with words like prodigy and wunderkind getting tossed around at whim. But let’s address it quickly, and move on, as any illusions of awkward or precocious youth should be scrubbed away by the album’s first song. Song Up In Her Head would be an impressive, captivating debut for an artist of any age, and the rare undercooked lyric or syrupy passage is easily overshadowed by Jarosz’s commanding presence and the overwhelming amount of supporting talent assembled in the studio.
“Bluegrass” is a term to use lightly here. Although plenty traditional signifiers remain, from nimble, virtuosic mandolin and banjo to the purposeful lack of a drum kit, Jarosz’s songs don’t generally adhere to accepted tradition. Her choice of covers (Tom Waits’s “Come On Up to the House”, the Decemberists’ “Shankill Butchers”) belies a wide range of influences that are allowed to seep into her own craft, which is considerable. “Broussard’s Lament” is a pointed commentary on the lack of response to Hurricane Katrina, “They told me Thursday they would come / They told me Friday they would come / Saturday’s here and I’m trying to find my way home”, made more urgent by the sudden chord changes and a powerful yet nuanced vocal performance. “Edge of a Dream” contains its share of vague treacle (“Dancing on the edge of a dream”, “Singin’ ‘bout the passion in my soul”) but the melody and instrumentation are achingly beautiful....full text |
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