Hello! 😊👋
Welcome to a new edition of the Daily Music Picks newsletter!
Today’s music pick is an album of uncommon vulnerability and conviction filled with exemplary songwriting.
Genre: Folk, Singer-Songwriter
Label: Fat Possum
Release Date: June 30, 2023
Vibe: 😲
Sometimes the most emotionally affecting music comes from gentle, matter-of-fact exploration. It sidesteps any semblance of razzle-dazzle for a quiet, kind directness reminiscent of Carole King’s and Joni Mitchell’s best work. Now, with I’ve Got Me, you can count Joanna Sternberg in that company. Drawing from a stylistic palette that includes folk, country, jangle pop, and blues, Sternberg examines old wounds and tries to heal them through what can only be described as an earnest artistic expression. There are no tongue-in-cheek punchlines or manipulative heartstring-tugging going on here. She’s fully present, in the moment, telling it like it is.
Consider a track like “People Are Toys to You.” The first two lines are a masterful sleight of hand, bouncing over confident guitar strums only to drop the bottom out with the third one: “I’m so glad I met you/You helped me see/Just how very much I hate me.” Sternberg lands similar gut punches on “Mountain High,” where she can’t bring herself to put up airs while she picks up the pieces after a recent split, saying, “I’m trying to feel better, sometimes I feel fine.” When I heard that, I was reminded of King’s “It’s Too Late,” which manages to be emotionally resonant without stooping to the level of adolescent theatrics. It’s simple songwriting but not simplistic or reductive. In precise strokes, Sternberg paints complex portraits of inner turmoil, everyday struggles, and, more importantly, the hope that keeps us moving forward.
A uniformly excellent outing from a soon-to-be household name.
👉 Don’t forget to click the album image to stream the album on your favorite platform 👈