I found out about Sarah Jarosz about the time her first album came out. It happened in a pretty unusual way. I was perusing the Collings guitar website checking out the artists that use their instruments and there she was playing one of their guitars! I had never heard of her before, so I Googled her name, found her website and checked out her stuff. I was blown away! Great rootsy vocals, and multi instrumental work that was mind boggling! All this from a girl about the same age as Taylor Swift. Now there was a teenager that didn't play to her age group, but instead took the less travelled route of Bluegrass, rootsy traditional type material! I was really impressed and immediately purchased her first album Song Up In Her Head. I loved it and it became a regular in my rotation of cds at work. (I'm blessed to be able to listen to music at work as long as it's on commercial cd and I don't intrude on my neighbors.) Just yesterday I found out about her new album, Follow Me Down, being featured on the Performing Songwriter website and took the opportunity to listen to it. What a great service they offer in allowing full albums to be previewed in total. This cd is obviously one I need to pick up. No sophomore slump here, in fact I like it even better than her first one and boy did she get a fantastic supporting cast! You'll find Jerry Douglas and Stuart Duncan all over this one. There's also Shawn Colvin, Chris Thile, Bela Fleck and Vince Gill to name a few! But, having big name musicians doesn't necessarily make a great album. This one is really all Sarah's genius and talent. The thing I always worry about when world class musicians start "progressing" in their career is that they'll head off into the ozone and leave we mere mortals scratching our heads wondering what's up. Not to worry here. While this is a progression beyond her first effort, it still maintains the good taste and accessibility of the first record. She appears to be an artist with tremendous talent and tremendous taste, a rare combination. Good Stuff! Check it out! Here's a link to Performing Songwriter:
On a different note, I've been less than enthused with American Idol this year. Seems like the voters have been systematically eliminating the most interesting singers. Tonight was no exception with the voting off of Haley. I was starting to warm up to her. Depending on where she goes with her career, I might actually acquire some of her stuff. She does have interesting vocals. No one to blame but myself for the outcome as I've avoided voting the whole season. No Crystal Bowersox to capture my interest this year. Very unusual ending up with 2 country kids. Kinda sleepy, but I'm betting they'll both make it in their genre. Scotty is an especially sure thing. Can't have too many Randy Travis, Josh Turner types! He's my pick to win it all.
