Undercurrent
Undercurrent finds Sarah Jarosz doing more with a smaller sound. Guitar takes a central place alongside her banjo and octave mandolin, while the arrangements leave her voice close and clear. The playing remains skilful, but the record has little interest in showing off. Its strongest moments come from the relationship between a song's feeling and the few details chosen to support it.
Early Morning Light begins with voice and fingerpicked guitar. The setting gives its mixture of doubt and determination a directness that a fuller arrangement might lose. Green Lights adds more colour, with the octave mandolin helping to give the rhythm a flowing movement. The harmonies are smooth, although they can initially make the song feel less immediate than its quieter neighbour.
House of Mercy gives the album a firmer edge. The lower guitar sound and dark blues shape create a suitable setting for a refusal to be worn down. Jarosz does not need to force the singing. The tension between a strong voice and a tightly controlled arrangement is enough to make the point.
Comin' Undone provides a brighter shift through a loose, lightly jazzy shuffle. Organ and electric guitar give its resilience more lift without turning the song into a large production. Take Another Turn returns to a much smaller acoustic frame, keeping its questions open through the clear melody and the movement of the guitar.
Lost Dog uses banjo to bring another texture into the sequence. Take Me Back and Still Life give broken relationships different musical settings, with electric guitar details in the former and a more lonesome fiddle presence in the latter. The closing Jacqueline leaves a softer electric pattern hanging in the space, ending with atmosphere rather than a final flourish.
The restrained pace means that the album's differences are often small ones. Some listeners may want a wider change in intensity, and the smooth harmonies occasionally make the surface too neat. Yet Jarosz gives the writing enough character to reward closer attention. Undercurrent is thoughtful, clear acoustic music that keeps its emotional weight inside the songs, allowing an instrumental choice or a small vocal turn to do the work.
