It’s a consistent thing with music reviewers, this habit of conveniently placing bands in specific categories to describe their sounds. Fair enough. All the more reason to embrace the artists who are difficult to pigeonhole into a genre. Case in point: Arum Rae. The former front woman for White Dress has gotten complimentary comparisons to artists like PJ Harvey, Patti Smith, Scout Niblett and Sarah Jaffe. But Rae’s voice has a distinctive destination of its own. Her smokey, haunting tones grip you and leave you breathless.
Rae spent the last couple of years working on her music in Nashville, including her 2012 EP Waving Wild, and touring The Civil Wars and Gary Clark, Jr. (Today’s Austin Music Minute music selection, the achingly seductive “If I Didn’t Know Better,” was co-written with The Civil Wars’ John Paul White and featured on the ABC series Nashville.)
Rae’s last Austin appearance was on New Year’s Eve, doing an opening slot for Willie Nelson at ACL Live at the Moody Theater. So be sure not to miss her perform tonight at Lamberts, 401 W. 2nd St. The bill includes a set by Austin country punks Dangeresque. Doors open at 10 p.m. This one comes highly recommended.
