Sarah Jaffe - The Body Wins Review
Sarah Jaffe returns with her new album and it's not just the body that wins.
rating: 4
Following her phenomenal 2010 album Suburban Nature was never going to be an easy task, even with the promise shown in the The Way Sound Leaves a Room E.P. last year but singer/songwriter Sarah Jaffe is back with her new album, The Body Wins and from the haunting opening track Paul she continues to be an artist whose voice adds multiple layers to a song and draws you in at every turn. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MvrUcZpUwU Blending seamlessly into the title track, the album lifts the pace a little and offers a bold track with a great hook and a little more heavy on the use of a beat than what you might expect from Sarah Jaffe but it works wonders. The more acoustic guitar Sarah Jaffe sound seems to be put to one side as the third track Glorified High arrives but the heart and soul of her lyrics and her fantastic voice are still totally felt in this ones as it heads towards its catchy chorus that's catchy in all the right ways. With her debut album Suburban Nature, Jaffes songs, with their longing and sadness and tales of heartbreak were instantly perfect. Tracks like Before You Go, Clementine and Vulnerable made her an artist that has been a constant go to on my personal playlists for quite some time and when her E.P. released last year followed that up with the track Shut it Down the promise of this new talent not being a fluke was a welcome one. On The Body Wins Jaffe seems to explore further. Tracks like Mannequin Woman plays with an almost Fleetwood Mac sound and with Halfway Right, The Way Sound Leaves a Room and Fangs she seems to be delving deeper into what Jaffe does best but with a wider musical landscape and a growing confidence in her style. Hooray for Love has an opening that would work within any good film soundtrack and continues to haunt as it unravels slowly to its peaks. Foggy Fields drops down to a quieter, airy feeling with delicate plucking of strings and Sucker For Your Marketing is a track thats been hovering around the internet for a while but here in its completed form provides a moody atmosphere that is a great snapshot of Jaffes attitude. The closing tracks on the album, beginning with Limerence change the mood again. The first of the three is an instrumental that feels as is its taken us on a journey somewhere and then Talk explodes into a sonic attack to provide the albums final high giving When You Rest the opportunity to wave us goodbye with its mellow farewell to what proves to be a very strong follow up album with more than its fair share of great tracks. Sarah Jaffe remains a blossoming highlight in the world of singer songwriters and The Body Wins is another great showcase of what she can do. For more on Sarah Jaffe visit her site: http://sarahjaffe.com/ Also for a listen to the entire album head to: http://www.npr.org/2012/04/15/150505265/first-listen-sarah-jaffe-the-body-wins Released 23rd April 2012