Photo courtesy of www.kirtlandrecords.com
Young, beautiful and new on the music scene is easy to come by, but talent isn’t. Sarah Jaffe is the latest female vocalist to join the ranks of the popular— and actually good—female songbirds topping the charts.
The up-and-coming musician will perform at the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines, this Tuesday at 8 p.m. She was invited to perform at a couple shows with Norah Jones for the multiple Grammy Award winner’s fourth album, “The Fall.” She is splitting time between Jones and the South by Southwest (SXSW) 2010 music festival, which showcases hundreds of musical acts from around the globe on over 80 stages in downtown Austin.
Jaffe first appeared on the music scene in August 2008 with her self-released EP record, “Ever Born Again.” The six-song album was recognized by the likes of “Rolling Stone” and the “Dallas Observer.” She is currently on tour to promote her upcoming spring-release album, “Suburban Nature.”
Jaffe hails from Texas and integrates the slowness of a southern drawl with upbeat baseline sounds to create folksy pop music, unlike anything else on the market. Classified in the folk genre but with a twinge of pop, she is in competition with the popular, established singer-songwriters of Ingrid Michaelson, Sara Bareilles and Brandi Carlile.
Listen to the soft melodies and fall into a lull evoked by Jaffe’s soulful tunes. It’s perfect for the rainy day, curled up on the couch and wrapped in the blanket of melodic tunes that Jaffe weaves.
“Opener Sarah Jaffe triumphed with folk music too robust and interesting to fit in the conventional singer-songwriter category,” the “Dallas Observer” reported in a concert review. “Her expressive lines are well-worn, but they’re drawn with a distinctly modern touch, and her smoky, blues-tinged voice is radiant with atmosphere and feeling.”
The artist’s songs never vary from the indie-pop base. Listeners won’t be surprised by any fast-paced, hard-hitting rock. Comfort can be found in the reliability of the soulful, somewhat melancholy lyrics. “He says to me ‘loneliness is universal, so be happy when you cry’ and yet, I crave to be alone, still I can’t be sure,” Jaffe hums in “Two Intangibles Can’t be Had.”
Although soft, Jaffe sings with a style of deliberation. She emphasizes the most important words and then backs them up with the plucking of a guitar in “Backwards/Forwards.” She then offers sounds similar to Regina Spektor in “Perfect Plan.”
If you want to be one of the first to discover Jaffe before she hits the Billboard Charts, tickets are still up for grabs at the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines. Check the site at civiccenter.org for prices.
Get a sneak peek at some of Jaffe’s upcoming songs, like “Clementine,” on her official Web site, www.sarahjaffe.com.
