Song Up In Her Head

It’s extremely hard to get past the fact that this multi– instrumentalist bluegrass super-talent from Texas is only 19 years old. The extraordinary fact that such an expressive singer, guitarist, banjo, mandolin and piano player – not to mention songwriter and producer – is not yet out of her teens is almost a total distraction. That the musicians Tim O’Brien, Chris Thile and Mike Marshall play on this, her debut album, is just a quiet indication that this woman has already gone somewhere fast. All but one of the songs on the album are written herself, and while they are undeniably sweet tunes – with undemanding lyrics and soothing melodies – there’s a punch to every one of the songs. Her voice ebbs and swells over the most basic of instrumentals and drives the songs forward; it’s easy to forget there’s no drum on this album. The rhythm is somewhere contained in the delicately veiled vocals, the simple lines of the fiddle and the gentle riffs of the banjo. ‘Can’t Hide’, a lament of lost and found love, makes the point perfectly.

Other fabulous moments include the mandolin-led tune ‘Mansinneedof’, where she spars with mandolin giant Mike Marshall and where the bowed bass just about manages to stop the tune from flying out of control. The wickedly racing title-track places her in time and space: she’s a Texas girl and this is country music, rich with slide-guitar, minor-tinged vocal phrases and good old-fashioned soul. This is an exceptional piece of work from someone whose career can only shoot upwards.