Arsonist Daughter
Self-Released, 2022
8/10
The debut album from the 18 year old vocalist Aspen Jacobsen, the 11 originals present find themselves in the area of roots sounds, where similarities to Joni Mitchell, Ani DiFranco and Anais Mitchell won’t be difficult to spot, and country and folk influences are certainly in attendance, too.
“Shouldn’t Give A Damn” opens the listen with Jacobsen’s charming vocals, where guitars, bass, fiddle and drums help cultivate a warm, upbeat roots feeling, and “Damned Dynasty” follows with a calmer approach of soulful Americana that showcases some tuneful, bluesy guitars, too.
Further along, “Monday Mourning” finds itself in intimate areas of cello playing amid a haunting quality that addresses gun violence, while “Dear Brother” recruits violin for a very personal, therapeutic look at mental health in Jacobsen’s raw delivery.
The final two tracks, “Arsonist Daughter” and “Arson”, are equally stirring, where the former is quite poetic in its bare beauty, and the latter meshes guitar, fiddle and wordless vocals into an ambient formula of dreamy, absorbing song craft.
Also a talented multi-instrumentalist who plays acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass, mandolin piano, keyboard and ukulele, and who is well versed in arranging songs for others, it seems that there isn’t much that Jacobsen can’t do in the area of music, as evidenced by this excellent first record.
Travels well with: The Accidentals- Time Out Session #2; Birdtalker- One