http://www.sharonvanetten.com/
I've flirted with posting about Sharon a couple of times, finally I decided it was time for her own post.
Make sure you check this She Keep Bees post for a link to a wonderful live recording.
I couldn't really do Sharon Van Etten as a "new music" thread as she's just released her second album 'Epic'. Whilst it's not a term I would use to describe her music, the quality of the material portrayed makes 'Timeless' a better choice.
Lyrically the overriding feeling is that of love and heartbreak, dealing with the aftermath of a romantic break-up. However, instead of turning into a sad, defeated victim the lyrics show signs of strength and resilience.
The biggest strength of the album for me is the vocals, throughout they are simply stunning, Sharon's husky gorgeous voice goes through an amazing range of over the course of the album, melancholy folk, up-tempo alt-country, pure driven pop, rock and even a little experimental all within half an hour.
"Peace Sign" the most urgent track and carries a political anti-war statement housed as a rock song, the country-tinged "Save Yourself" would fit straight into any Nashville barroom.
Though 'Epic' is pretty short for a full length record at just seven songs and half an hour in length, it does save the best tracks for the later half of the record. The highlights for me are the instantly assessable "Don't Do It" along with the bluesy feel of "One Day" and finally "Love More" which closes the LP with a slow burning harrowing beauty of a song full of shimmering harmonium and heartbreak with a wonderful emotional climax.
The only soar point for me was the over-long "DsharpG" which starts off promising with a weary atmospheric but stays a little one dimensional for its six minute length.
Full of emotion and sentiment 'Epic' is beautifully crafted, the seven songs capture different moods and highlight the amazing talents of Sharon. A future masterpiece could be brewing if SVE can build from this second outing.
8.2 / 10
Hear Sharon cover of The Smiths' "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me" below:
Sharon Van Etten – Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me by morrisday
and from 'Epic' "Don't Do It":
Sharon Van Etten - Don't Do It by morrisday
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