Photo by Melanie Little Gomez
Even in her early lo-fi days, Sarah Jaffe seemed destined for bigger things. With stunning songs like “Clementine” and “Before You Go,” the Denton, TX native dug deep into her psyche, augmented by acoustic guitar and a bare-bones backing band. Her voice could command a room like little else, and she started to wonder what else she could do with it. Enter The Body Wins, her 2012 album and something of a stylistic shift. Jaffe worked with producer John Congleton to create something just as confessional, but more urgent and modern. On songs like “Glorified High,” she lashed out at demons both real and imagined, all while the music buzzed like an electronic orchestra underneath.
Tomorrow sees the release of album number three, Don’t Disconnect, and the title hints at the kind of emotional power the record carries. Last year, Jaffe unexpectedly scored a big profile boost when a backing track she created as part of the Dividends–her hip-hop side project with Dallas’s Grammy-winning producer S1–was used in Eminem’s “Bad Guy.” On Don’t Disconnect, Jaffe has ramped up her pop instinct without sacrificing the razor-sharp attitude of her early years. Album standout “Some People Will Tell You” is a declaration of freedom, but with a dark edge–it’s Sarah Jaffe, perfectly summed up.
Catch Sarah Jaffe tomorrow at Waterloo Records at 5pm for a free in-store performance.
