Jess Yoakum

Saturday, March 31, 2012

\"Jess Yoakum has a voice fit for radio; emotive, strong, and confident. So adept is she at manipulating her instrument, she could easily slide her way into the latest pop fad and sing 11 year-olds to sleep every night. If her mature lyrics and haunting sensibilities are any indication, nothing could be further from her interests. Yoakum-s sophomore venture, This Quiet Mile, finds her exploring a sound that lends itself well to those late-night notions about who we are, and where we-re headed. She establishes herself firmly in the pantheon of darker, more confrontational songwriters who harness longing by threading it through minor keys (Ani Difranco, Fiona Apple, and Keren Ann spring to mind)... Sparse without being modest, and direct without being brash, Jess Yoakum has found a diamond in the rough: a sound she can grow old with.\" - Chicago Acoustic Underground