Although I was vaguely aware of Jennie Stearns (she was a founding member of ‘Donna the Buffalo’), I hadn’t heard any of her material so when a couple of her albums arrived I was really looking forward to hearing them. After my first listen of ‘Sing Desire’ I thought it was good, but not exceptionally so......this just goes to show how wrong first impressions can be, as after the second (and closer) listen through it was obvious that ‘Sing Desire’ is an exceptionally fine album.
The most striking thing is the overall balance; it’s an atmospheric and fairly lyrically downbeat collection, but rather than being the obvious purely acoustic affair, the instrumentation and arrangements are varied and they give the album variety and a spark that makes it stand out from the crowd.
While the songs may be full of strong but fairly bleak imagery, the disc is packed with attractive and memorable melodies that really stick with you – this contrast makes the disc incredible easy to listen to and the balance of ‘dark and light’ is perfect.
Almost every review you could read for Jennie will liken her voice to Lucinda Williams, and it’s a fair comparison as they share some vocal traits, but Jennie has a slightly more delicate approach that really suits the open arrangements on ‘Sing Desire’.
There are many standout tracks here, and it’s an album that works well as a sequenced collection, so picking a couple of tracks to highlight is difficult, but ‘Early Train’ is a great song, strong lyrics and hooks combined with an imaginative arrangement; and the title track is a superbly crafted song with a melody that stays with you long after the song has finished.
‘Sing Desire’ is one of the most creative and thoughtfully constructed singer/songwriter discs to come our way over the past few years, and one that really stands out from the pack. Highly recommended. 

£13.49