A singer/songwriter with electro-pop ambitions, soulful Texas crooner Sarah Jaffe weaves stark folk-pop narratives whose gentle melodies belie the deeper, dancefloor-ready confectioner within. On the title track of her debut EP, Jaffe sang "I'm testament to old and new," which served as a nice introduction to the singer/songwriter's timeworn folk side. Her tart, at times bluesy voice had the sepia tint of dustbowl troubadours of yore and the sad crack and throb of a '70s confessional folkie. Delicate guitar picking and literate lyrics rounded out the aesthetic, but Jaffe also proved to be capable of kicking up a full-band rumble as well, with albums like Suburban Nature pointing to a decidedly punky force behind the quiet façade.
Born in 1986 in Texas, Jaffe burst onto Denton's indie scene in a big way during the late 2000s, making memorable live appearances at venues like the Austin City Limits festival and winning recognition in several categories at the Dallas Observer Music Awards. Raves for her initial EP, 2008's Even Born Again, in the American and U.K. press, as well as an international tour supporting the band Midlake, raised the singer's profile even further, and she signed a deal with Kirtland Records late in 2009, who released the full-length Suburban Nature as her official debut in 2010. The home-recorded The Way Sound Leaves a Room EP arrived in 2011, followed by the evocative full-length The Body Wins in 2012 and the electro-pop-minded Don't Disconnect in 2014. A few months after the release of Don't Disconnect, Jaffe issued the remix EP Visions, which featured contributions from Blue, the Misfit, Mystery Skulls, Symbolyc, and several others. On her follow-up LP, 2017's Bad Baby, Jaffe continued to explore bright synth pop and electronic-oriented styles.
Paula Carino
AllMusic.com
