When you think of Philadelphia, you most likely don’t think of folk music. Well, Philly native Shannen Moser is trying her damnedest to change that, as her latest LP I’ll Sing is one of the genre’s best offerings of the year. Hell, it’s one of the best albums of the year in any genre.
The album’s lo-fi opening shows off Moser’s voice beautifully, but the album really kicks into gear with “Haircut Song.” While it lacks any real traditional hook, the song nonetheless manages to stand among the catchiest on the album, featuring some of Moser’s best lyricism as well. “You said, ‘I’m doomed to love you and that’s the truth,'” she recounts, before countering that “that’s a sorta fucked up way to say it.” The following “Joanna” and “Baby Blue” feel more classically folk, and the latter affords Moser the chance to display her range – she slips into her higher register over a cello for the song’s chorus, and it’s one of the most memorable moments on the album. The other song which makes the most use of her higher register is “Trouble,” a ballad that almost borders on blues. It features Colins Regisford, whose voice complements Moser’s perfectly, resulting in one of the best songs on the album.
The absolute best song on the album, though, is “Hallelujah.” What begins as a straightforward alt-country song builds and builds into a cacophonous barnburner, replete with harmonica and cello. “Hallelujah,” sings Moser over the song’s raucous climax, “we’re all going home.” While she’s far from the first to espouse the sentiment, she sounds damn convincing. That’s probably the best thing about I’ll Sing, really, how honest it sounds. There’s no affectation, no cheesy country accent, no melodrama. It’s all just raw emotion, and, while Moser ays on “Haircut Song” that “pain’s not poetic,” it sure sounds like she’s found a way to make it so.