Quick Review (LP): Follow Me Down by Sarah Jarosz

Sarah Jarosz
Follow Me Down
Sugar Hill; 2011

My Rating: A- (83/100)

Best Tracks: "Run Away", "Annabel Lee", "Ring Them Bells", "My Muse", "The Tourist", "Peace"

Taylor Swift, through the looking glass…

NOTES

• Sounds a good bit like Nickel Creek’s precocious little sister.
• Great voice – so easy on the ears, yet very dynamic.
• "Run Away" and "Come Around" constitute an excellent opening salvo.
• Gotta love the Poe-to-music of "Annabel Lee." Is that an original, or someone else’s bright idea?
• Great Dylan cover. Her version may be better than his, but gotta give credit to the Jester for the amazing lyrics. ("Ring Them Bells")
• "My Muse" has a wonderful dream like quality about it. One of the best I’ve heard this year. Gold.
• She covered "The Tourist." It’s official: girl has DAMN good taste in music.
• More of the profound dreaminess on "Gypsy." 
• "Peace" is a gorgeous way to end the record. Wonderful.
• Her voice is so lovely that I think that for Jarosz to justify not singing on a track it needs to be truly exceptional, like "Peace." However, "Old Smitty" leaves something to be desired.
• This is a record of simple pleasures, and Jarosz may just be ready to assume that newgrass royalty mantle that Nickel Creek so oddly abandoned a few years back.
• Solid Paste review here.

ATTRIBUTES
Cohesion (5/5)
Concept (4/5)
Consequence (5/5)
Consistency (4.5/5)
Songs (4.5/5)