Jo Little
- Till The Blue Skies Come (Midnight Kitchen Records)
With online media, social networking and the rising
popularity of music downloads, things have definitely got easier for artists
who don’t live and work in North America or Europe. Jo Little, a New Zealander,
is a case in point. The Dunedin native has her music for sale in most of the
usual places, and wherever we are, we can hear her songs via the wizardry of
Facebook and Bandcamp. Of course, the negative is a massively overcrowded
marketplace, but no one can seriously argue that choice is a bad thing, and
while we’re getting the chance to hear artists of Little’s quality, surely it’s
a no-brainer.
“Till The Blue Skies Come” is her third release and
continues her exploration of country-folk and acoustic soul. Arrangements are
kept sparse and quite stripped back, allowing her captivating voice and
emotionally resonant songs centre stage. Highlights come thick and fast. The
marching guitar of “Sleepwalkers”
clashes perfectly with Little’s words, and “Five of Swords” brings to mind the acoustic grunge of
Kristin Hersh. “Into the
Darkness” repeats the process to even greater effect and the title
track is faultless and engaging folk-pop, which seems to have roots that
stretch back to the ‘60s and ‘70s. The album ends with the utterly charming,
though all too short “Leave
This Town”. Fans of Gillian Welch and Iris DeMent would do well
to take note, and listen without too much delay.
Simon M.
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