Joan Shelley
“Over and Even”
Over and Even (out now on No Quarter)
The Kentucky-based singer-songwriter’s third LP is a beautiful collection of direct, folsky Americana, built around Shelley’s remarkably mellifluous vocals and gentle, expertly crafted guitar melodies. As strong as the arrangements are, that voice is the star of the show — evocative, transportive, and laced with the kind of magic that takes your mind to log cabins, gentle rivers, and long, easy days. The excellent disc’s title track frames a single-string electric guitar riff with tasteful touches of banjos and lap steel, creating the perfect pensive, pastoral canvas for the Louisville native to paint her beautiful voice all over.
