With every new album my love for Joan Shelley grows exponentially more, and I’m not sure if it’s possible to love someone this much.
So, let me tell you about her new album Like The River Loves the Sea, and it’s melancholic hope. Her sweet, delicate voice sounds beautifully wistful and mourning for love or something from the past. Her collaboration with partner Nathan Salsburg is always magically. The duo always knows how to play to each other’s strengths. Salsburg allows Joan’s voice room to breathe moving it to the front and center without any distraction, while Joan knows when to give Nathan his time to shine.
Joan Shelley is one of the reasons I have not given up on music. Her music is a salve to my music-tired soul and always fills my heart with the love of music and something else that I just can’t put my name on. In my opinion, she is one of the few artists making beautiful modern folk music. Her ability to mix the old sound with new is one of Joan’s greatest gifts. The music she creates never grows old and is the epitome of timelessness; however, she has grown with every album since Ginko. With each album Joan has created a collection of songs that have been sheer perfection for that specific time, but it is this album that has set a benchmark for Joan’s discography and all of the albums to come.
Purchase Like The Rive Loves The Sea: Bandcamp; Apple Music; Amazon; No Quarter
Joan Shelley: Website; Facebook; Twitter; Instagram; YouTube