Videos by American Songwriter
Emily Jane White
Ode to Sentience
(Terrorbird)
Rating: 3 stars
Brooding, melancholy and languid are adjectives often applied to White’s work and also describe her third release. Strings, barely there drums, pedal steel and electric guitar still leave room for an emotional ambiance that White fills with lilting, near ghostly vocals and almost painfully introspective lyrics. There’s an undeniably unsettled, even creepy gothic quality to her noir approach that takes hold early and gradually ratchets up as the eleven tunes gently tangle and unwind. It’s a sinuous, beckoning sound that envelopes and entices the listener like the Sirens of Ulysses, keeping you glued to her occasionally ambient music until the final notes drift away.
