Undercurrent

Accompanied by a line-up different from her familiar touring trio of recent years, Sarah Jarosz offers Undercurrent, which serves as a solidly progressive stepping-stone in the career of one of Americana's finest young talents. Playing octave mandolin, guitar and banjo and wielding an unmistakably resonant voice — tinged with the perfect shade of Texas twang — Jarosz lures the listener along contemplative trails marked by romantic yearning, melancholic dreams, and one (possibly figurative) forlorn dog. The only quibble across the 11 tracks lies with the uneven production by Jarosz and Grammy award-winning engineer Gary Paczosa. Some songs are unnecessarily adorned with reverb, overdubbing and glossy effects, with ‘Green Lights’ standing out as a nearly indigestible example of the species.

One of the album's best cuts, ‘House of Mercy’, co-written by Jarosz and Jedd Hughes (who is featured with Luke Reynolds on guitar and harmony vocals, and Mark Shatz on bass), uses a swinging, down-tempo groove to tell an enigmatic tale of dark temptation and mercy given or withheld. ‘Take Another Turn’ hears Jarosz totally solo, flatpicking guitar while ruminating on the human tendency to lose direction.