The term "folk" is one of the most troublesome in music.
It no longer refers to musicians exploring indigenous people's music but instead gets applied to bland, self-indulgent singer/song writer pablum that sets my teeth on edge.
Jennifer Leonhardt does play basic music based on her lovely voice and a simple vision yet she manages to NOT fall into the trap of presenting "pretty, lonely girl music". They key may be the translation from the bedroom to the studio.
I think most "folks" who pick up an acoustic guitar and write songs start in their bedrooms, in a warm and intimate space. For reasons that leave me scratching my head they eventually take the songs to a cold, mechanical studio where a producer grinds off all the interesting bits and leaves us with something that is shiny, but ultimately rather dull.
Not so with Jennifer on her second album "Minstrel's Daughter". The sound is understated, as low-fi as it is low key. But this works in the material's favor. It gives the music more of an actual down-home feel. The bits of grit at the edges add a legitimacy to these pieces that most folk music looses in the recording process.
Yes, the basis here is still talented voice, solid songwriting, a bit of guitar and some friends on back up. Yes, this still descends from Dylan and works in bits of roots music, american and honest-to-god twang (as heard on "Make it the Mountain" and "Line of Fire"), but this isn't the same old thing bandied about open mics at coffee shops. It feels like Jennifer never left her bedroom and we're reclining next to her as she plays us 4-track recordings she made in the same room.
My personal tastes lead me to "Let the Wretched Come Home" as my favorite track. I love this ghost room romp with its dashes of dirge and echoes of the Breeders.
