I'm living healthily these days so it was probably about time that I started listening to earnest singer songwriters. As if to make that an easier decision, "What I Know" the new album from Chicago's Laura Joy landed on my lap.
Eschewing horn sections, drummers with drink problems and other trappings of the hellbound rock 'n' roll express train, Ms Joy instead occupies the green and pleasant of folk flavoured coffee shops. Not actually a bad thing, of course, as it seems an appropriate arena for her economic and observational lyrics. That lack of pretension is best shown in "What I Know" that takes us on a metaphorical bus journey through life without ever forcing an opinion one way or another upon us. Equally matter of fact are "Rose Remains" and the up-tempo "Plan" with these songs in particular reminding me of earlier practitioners of the art of urban storytelling like Suzanne Vega.
The charm of "What I know" lies in the honesty, and perhaps a certain naivety, of Laura Joy. The simplicity of the song arrangements is both a strength and a weakness for there are times when you just want them to be bigger. All in all though, "What I Know" is a nice album that goes especially well with your Saturday morning coffee.