Build Me Up From Bones

The prolific, popular and talented Texas banjo player and singer Sarah Jarosz tries out a new sound on this, her third release. As usual, she has written most of the songs herself (apart from a couple of covers, this time Dylan and Joanna Newsom) and her cast of guest musicians is, as ever, star-studded. There is a haunting accordion accompaniment from Dirk Powell on ‘Mile on the Moon’ and vocals from former Crooked Still front-woman Aoife O’Donovan on a couple of tracks. Darrell Scott, Jerry Douglas, Chris Thile and Kate Rusby are all in attendance.

Jarosz shines on four different instruments. Her old-time sound is rich on ‘Fuel the Fire’, where clawhammer banjo rasps alongside strong vocals and Thile’s uncharacteristically understated mandolin. She leaps headlong into a country sound with ‘Dark Road’, on which the dobro resonates throughout. On ‘Rearrange the Art’ she is a folky, poppy version of herself. The album is technically brilliant but gone are the exciting, raw collaborations and covers seen on Follow Me Down, and too many of the songs risk falling into the middle of the country-pop road. Let’s hope in future releases a more characteristic and defined voice will shine through once more.