Former free-jazz saxophonist turns their hand to the craft of the singer-songwriter, mixing Appalachian folk with edgy indie rock, to produce a unique and heady musical cocktail.
Zoh Amba’s musical journey into the world of singer-songwriting and the americana genre is an unusual one, to say the least. Having grown up playing saxophone in the Bible Belt town of Kingsport, Tennessee, they left for San Francisco before arriving in New York in search of a life in music, and in particular, avant-garde jazz. A debut album, produced by legendary American composer and conductor John Zorn, saw the light of day in 2022 and has since been followed by two more. In addition, they joined Steve Gunn, Shahzad Ismaily, and Jim White to form the Beings, releasing the album There Is A Garden in 2024, while most recently they performed at Coachella as part of Iggy Pop’s band.
Now, if you’re thinking that this all sounds a million miles from the usual fare you find within the pages of AUK, please bear with me, as there is a subplot. Back in their hometown of Kingsport, Zoh Amba’s first instrument was the guitar, and though Amba had long believed that pure instrumental music could help souls and that transcendence could be reached without language, words eventually pushed their way in, along with flashes of darker childhood memories that could only be faced directly and retold armed with the six strings of a guitar and a poet’s heart.
Having grown up watching their small town pass through a difficult, destabilising period, trying to keep the reality at arm’s length, only to later recognise how thin the line was between themselves and those who suffered most, each song on Amba’s debut album for Matador Records, Eyes Full, is character-driven. From the opening number, OCD, about a kid benumbed by medication, Amba sets her stall with a bright and inviting acoustic guitar intro, the thumb emphasising the tonic and the dominant of each chord before the tune expands to offer a sweet melody on the upper register that teases for just a few bars as the addition of discordant notes creates a sudden uneasiness as the intro falters to a close. At this point, the song starts in earnest, Amba’s narrative cocooned in the Appalachian roots music emanating from her guitar, building in intensity with each passing bar. Following number Another Time is a particular album highlight, with a fuller arrangement including percussion from none other than Jim White. At the same time, Kevin Hyland’s electric guitar sweeps through, alternating between jagged chords and sweet melodic runs. Front and centre on each track are the emotive vocals of Amba, which at various times draw favourable comparisons to Adrianne Lenker, Alynda Segarra of Hurray for the Riff Raff, and the punk priestess herself, Patti Smith. Musically, though, the folk music of her home state remains prevalent throughout the album; there is also an abrasive punkish attitude that imbues it in equal measure, with particular reference to NYC’s heritage, citing such luminaries from the Velvet Underground to the aforementioned Smith and the Ramones, emphasised by such tracks as Dead End Street and Thousand Years.
Elsewhere, Southern Soil is a delight as well as one of the most personal songs on the album, as it addresses those people who first dictated what could and couldn’t be said, confronting the silence that shaped much of Amba’s young life, as they defiantly sing “you don’t have to keep a secret”, against an energetically strummed guitar, while the title track that follows again travels at pace propelled on by White’s percussive pulse. Towards the latter half of the album, the quality starts to wane slightly, though the gentle Emahoy, which offers a psychedelic vibe, is highly enjoyable, as is the brash folkiness of Weed Eating.
With Eyes Full, Zoh Amba has managed, through her undeniable musicality, to skillfully merge genres, creating something unique and yet remaining relatable to all its roots. One could argue that with thirteen tracks, the album could have benefited from a little harsher pruning, for even though the average song time is well under three minutes, it struggles to hold the attention all the way to its conclusion, with tracks such as Blueberry Thorn and Odd Jobs sounding more like filler. Despite that small criticism, Eyes Full is, without doubt, a very good album that triumphantly introduces Zoh Amba to the americana audience.
