photo by Brittney Bush Bollay
Emerging through an entirely too crowded genre of indie singer-songwriters, Sharon Van Etten meandered into our studios, and maybe in the process, into your hearts. The Brooklyn-based Van Etten conjures up simple, wide-eyed tunes in the vein of local acts Brandi Carlile and Jesse Sykes, but it’s the unique, raw quality of her voice that will endear her to you. Her second studio album, Epic, released in September on Ba Da Bing, is seeing many a year-end nod from handfuls of critics and bloggers alike.
If her name’s not familiar, you might recognize her voice from the Antler’s track “Thirteen” off the much buzzed-about 2009 album, Hospice. Van Etten’s own album has been described as “the first step to establishing her as one of the best confessional singer-songwriters around” (Washington Post). Though she still has some catching up to do with the best of her female predecessors, the young Brooklyn-based singer has got the ball rolling, fast. Watch out!
And remember to watch her recent visit to the KEXP studios:
