aaamusic | On 05, Jun 2011

Time for a generic observation: all music is somewhat of an acquired taste, even if it’s not particularly challenging or unusual, due to the fact that in my experience if you aren’t already a fan of it when you sit down to listen to an album of the genre, you probably won’t be one when you stand up again, no matter how good it is. So, bearing that in mind, if you hate folk that falls to the country/pop end of the spectrum, Follow Me Down is unlikely to change your outlook. However, if you’re indifferent or, even better, an enthusiast, here you’ll find a record that pretty much does everything right.

It’s hard to dislike Jarosz – even if her sound isn’t really for you, you have to admire the way she goes about creating it: nothing here seems muddled or out of place, and she has a lovely voice to boot. So while I wouldn’t say I loved it, I did enjoy it. Follow Me Down is successful in most respects – my only criticism would be that despite some attempts at mixing things up, for instance by throwing in some Celtic moments, the formula doesn’t quite work stretched over 11 tracks. If you love the genre though, you’ll love this.

Author: Katharine Sparks