Sarah Jaffe has recently been thrust into the limelight after getting all kinds of praise from the likes of Paste, USA Today and Magnet for her tawny teardrop-infused songs. She used to be Denton, Texas’ best kept secret. Now she’ll just have to settle for being not only one of Denton’s best, but one of the most promising new singer songwriters. She opened for Dinosaur Jr/Sebadoh/Folk Implosion vet Lou Barlow at the Tractor Tavern Monday night, and really kind of stole the whole show.
Jaffe is usually billed as indie-folk, but I think her message shines through in a way that almost feels punk rock. Her voice is at times smoky and low but then careens full-force into an emotive wail. She stood at the microphone with her eyes closed, and her fingers softly, almost inaudibly, tapping the strings on the neck of her guitar, cooing hauntingly “please stay with me, stay with me.” She freely admits to potentially revealing a little too much about herself in her songs, and that she writes about what she knows and feels which is something that is evident in her heartbroken and raw lyrics.
“Clementine” was fierce; Jaffe stepped out of her self-aware cocoon and howled away the pain. She’s at her best during these moments, when her faux naivety falls away and you can see her grit. Jaffe’s vocal style in “Vulnerable” conjured Shannon Wright, or PJ Harvey with her slightly off-key downtrodden charm. “Pretender” was her tour-de-force though, a personal poem delivered with impassioned zeal. The best singers sing from their gut and with pure unadulterated spirit that oozes straight out of them and I think Jaffe is starting to master that skill.
Scott Danbom, of Denton lo-fi wonders Centro-matic, accompanied Sarah on keyboard and violin with Buffy Jacobs on cello. The simplicity of their sound live was key. You could hear a pin drop during some of the more heartfelt parts. Feeling just gushed from Jaffe, her words seemingly spilled from the soul-searching and lamenting pages of her diary. I was impressed with Jaffe, and I have to say I think I agree with what some have said … I think she is indeed the next big thing. And if she isn’t? Well, that means people just weren’t paying enough attention.
