Laney Jones “Golden Road” Album Preview
So like any good roots musician, I have a soft spot for gals that pick their instruments better than I do. Laney Jones is a banjo songstress. Her picking style is only accented beautiful by her voice, capable of captivating and audience with its mix of southern front porch twang and pop music craft attitude, making it a surely pleasant sounding vessel for some really great, catchy, story-telling.
Years I stayed getting strong
Waiting for the beast to come
The wise oak then revealed to me
That I’m the child of the beast
Like a dagger in my chest
Sewn red letter on my vest
How could I be the thing
Me, the child of the beast
There is, of course, the inflection of bluegrass influence strewn through the 10 tracks on her 2013 release “Golden Road” but there is a contemporary vibe to the collection of songs. Not in an over the top Punch Brothers chamber-grass way, but a songwriter that was raised up on the banjo and therefore constructed their craft around that and the palpable inspirations that come along with it.
Jones has a way of taking a traditional sound and elevating it in a way that makes a genre accessible while paying proper homage to it. She utilizes her primary instrument in a rich and practical way, having it interact with the other parts of the music rather than overpower them. Creating textures and patterns for her voice to dance over. And, man, I cannot get enough of her voice.
The first two tracks on the record wind up as my favorites, but I am hard pressed to really say that as the entire 10 song collection is a really enjoyable listen through and through.
Lucky for us, while Laney makes her home in the sunny south she comes through town often. Check her out this month at Great Scott on April 12th or Passim on April 22 (plus a slew of other Northeast dates on her site around those times).
