Liz Janes and Create(!), s/t. Ashmatic Kitty
reviwed by dj matthew stark rubin. fcc clean.

Post-Folk. A female folk singer/songwriter with a gentle voice joins with a free jazz collective and the results are amazing. Only six songs, but they’re all great- no kidding. Sometimes borders on ambient, sometimes borders on traditional Appalachian folk, but all of it has great depth. All six of these songs are standards, but each is completely reimagined. Manages to be totally lo-fi and acoustic sounding but also crisp and clean. Frankly I am amazed at the tactful restraint and control exercised by the jazz musicians here- they really allow the songs to come through clearly and the singer to shine. Only caution is that this is low-energy stuff- not much changes structurally during the songs, it’s all in the details. PLAY IT!

My picks- 1, 4, 6

1- Lush, Dreamy and Beautiful, even if not much happens. Focus on the vocal melody and guitar picking, and some really gentle percussion. About two minutes in, thick and tender sax. Gorgeous.
2- hushed and delicate. Starts with an acoustic bass vamp, joined by murmured, throaty vocals. Some stark drum hits that sound like they were recorded in a hardware store, alongside out-of-time scraping and occasional cymbal work.
3- ambient woodwind sounds, thick bass tone, occasional bowed strings, with Bjork-esque vocals. No time signature in sight.
4- indie-folk sounding. Acoustic guitar dominates w/ cat-power-like drumming to decorate it. vox here are a light, floating falsetto, more straightforward than other tracks.
5- Starts with rhythm groove: tambourine, hand-claps, very primitive stuff, with some background chanting. Then joined by bluesy acoustic strumming and deep-voiced slave-song lyrics. Ends with another long bass and rhythm breakdown. This is the corniest piece on the album. Whereas none of the other tracks try to be “authentic” or “true” to the spirit of the original, this one does, and in my opinion it overreaches in a very orientalizing way.
6- Starts with bells and odd djembe (?) drumming, falls into nice three-chord acoustic melody but the original soundscape dances around the background nicely. Vocals in pretty two-part harmony that are shamelessly about love, and when the reeds enter, its gorgeous.