Transcendent folk wonder Laura Jean goes electric on her third album, following up acclaimed acoustic antecedents Our Swan Song (2006) and Eden Land (2008). Album opener So happy surprises with thunderous drums and dueling saxophone solos, but there’s no foot-on-the-foldback rock posturing here. A fool who’ll is a dark album, claustrophobic and even menacing at times, but suffused with a fierce beauty that is pure Laura Jean.
The album was recorded with Melbourne engineer Simon Grounds, mixed by renowned Canadian Darryl Neudorf (Neko Case, New Pornographers, Sarah MacLachlan) and mastered by Peter J. Moore (Neil Young, Cowboy Junkies, Joni Mitchell). Guests spots include a duet on Spring with Grand Salvo, and trio harmonies on My Song, sung with Magic Silver White’s Jojo Petrina and Monica Sonand.
A fool who’ll is a landmark album for Laura, a reinvention of sorts, but also the starkest and most concentrated expression yet from an artist who grows bolder with each release.
