It’s all in the seasoning as chefs are prone to say and Jenny Gillespie has seasoned her latest release – “Belita” – with the finest quality spices like Sam Amidon and Shahzad Ismaily with the resulting confection being indie folk infused with an organic warmth.
Being but an EP, there are a mere five tracks here of gently simmering acoustica all subtly instrumented with the guidance of Shahzad Ismaily. There’s nothing as unsubtle as a power chord anywhere with just the opposite being true. The rippling guitars that lead “Cheating Gong” into the intertwined vocals of Ms Gillespie and Sam Amidon are as soothing as a sea breeze with the potential for turbulence being illustrated by a seemingly disconnected violin. Fragments of the peak period of English folk music seem to have found their way into the piano driven “Sunshine Blood” enhancing its already ethereal flavour whilst “Mariposa”, on the other hand, leans more towards Joni Mitchell for its musical direction.
“Belita” is a subtle thing possessed of nothing less than grace and that a makes it something of a, distinctly welcome, oddity in these forthright days.
Available from CD Baby.