Coffee At The Corner Bar
Self-Released, 2020
9/10
Listen to Coffee At The Corner Bar
A New York native who now calls the UK home, the rising songstress Annie Dressner returns with her 3rd album, where her most realized songs to date reside as she even offers a cover of The Magnetic Fields across a dozen intimate tracks.
“Nyack” starts the listen with warm acoustic guitar as Dressner’s soft, agile vocals steer the indie-folk opener that’s both charming and memorable, and “Dogwood” follows with expressive singing amid the reflective climate that’s piano friendly.
Deeper into the listen, “Midnight Bus”, a co-write with Matthew Caws (of Nada Surf), is a more rugged approach to folk ideas where Dressner’s inimitable vocals shine bright, while “Pretend” benefits from eloquent, poetic storytelling alongside gentle melodies. “The Book Of Love”, the aforementioned cover, is one of the album’s best, where a dreamy quality aligns with pretty interplay between the keys and percussion.
Closer to the end, “Look What You’re Doing To Us” builds into a beautifully layered display of timeless song craft and “Losing You” exits the listen gently, bare and vulnerable, with a song about grief, something Dressner has sorted through with the loss of her mother.
Although Dressner didn’t pick up a guitar until after high school, she’s made herself into a soothing storyteller with a knack for lifting and forthright songwriting that’s easy to enjoy and difficult to forget, and will certainly resonate with those who appreciate Jenny Lewis, Elliott Smith or Emily Barker.
Travels well with: Emily Barker- A Dark Murmuration Of Words; Ana Egge- Is It The Kiss