New Music Reviews: Kara Jackson and Cleo Sol

Two female solo artists this week. But they’re drastically different. Kara Jackson is a bluesy singer-songwriter, brutally honest on her debut album. Cleo Sol’s back with her second album in a month, her smooth R&B as warm and comforting as ever.

Kara Jackson

Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love?

2023, 7/10
Kara Jackson is a poet and singer-songwriter from Illinois. She largely wrote the songs for this debut album in her childhood bedroom during the early phases of the COVID pandemic. It’s received a lot of acclaim, although it’s a record that I find easier to admire than enjoy. It’s harsh, on account of the timbre of Jackson’s voice, the often austere arrangements, and her worldview. Jackson’s vocal timbre and outspoken lyrics often remind me of Nina Simone, even if they’re not particularly similar musically. Jackson often accompanies herself on acoustic guitar.

On the best tracks, Jackson pretties up the music or the lyrics. On ‘Dickhead Blues’, she’s more positive than usual, singing “I am pretty top notch”. The eight-minute character study ‘Rat’ is impressive. Jackson’s pauses between phrases create tension effectively, while strings sweeten the sound. The title track is pretty.

Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love? is often impressive, but it’s not always lovable.

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Gold

2023, 8/10

I’ve already recorded Cleo Sol’s Heaven very recently. Gold arrived a week later, so I think it’s fine to recycle my introduction.

It’s not just Sault who have been prolific over the past few years – co-lead vocalist Cleo Sol has just released her third record of the decade. She’s reliably classy – her vocals are soulful and smooth, while she also has the low-key intimacy of a singer-songwriter. I loved her first two records – they’re both on my top-rated albums list. 

Heaven was enjoyable, but it felt a little slight after Sol’s impressive first two records. Presumably Gold comes from the same sessions, but it’s a stronger set of songs.

Along with her smooth voice, Sol’s strengths are her sincerity and compassion. On ‘Things Will Get Better’ she encourages a struggling friend, singing “Things will get easier/Things will get better/I think you’re stronger.” She’s also encouraging on ‘Please Don’t End It All’, rationalising that “everybody’s going through changes”. Sol’s spirituality is upfront on ‘Reason’.

The first side follows the piano-based singer-songwriter sound of her earlier records. The second side ventures into more Sault-like territory. Tracks like ‘Desire’ and ‘Life Will Be’ would fit easily into a Sault project, driven by warm basslines.

Here’s a recent live version of an older track:

Sol’s reliably enjoyable, and Gold is a welcome addition to her catalogue.

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• New Music Reviews
• Cleo Sol album reviews
• 2023 albums on my to-do list