Sarah Jerrom – Dream Logic

This recording, Dream Logic – as the website of Sarah Jerrom tells us – is one that launches her career as a songwriter as well as the first recording that features her playing piano. It is not the first time, however, that we hear her lustrous, glistening voice. As she is joined by the well-known guitarist Harley Card [who also joins her on vocals], the experience of listening to Miss Jerrom’s often sparkling high and lonesome vocalastics is magnified.

This is an unhackneyed programme from the young Toronto soprano. It follows her poetry project that set some of W. B. Yeats’ poems to music in 2017. It is brave of her to follow up a programme featuring one of the most consequential poets with a recording of her own lyrics and music. Miss Jerrom was probably thinking of this when she penned her lyrics; something she has a gift for, by the way. She sings the songs with near-flawless technique, sometimes resorting to syllabic vocalisations [as opposed to scatting], and this she does passionately.

My copy of the recording did not come with a booklet and lyrics. I have always been an advocate for all vocal recordings being accompanied by booklets with lyrics – just like all classical recordings [operas, cantatas, chorales, etc] do. It makes for better navigation of unfamiliar vocal recordings and therefore always makes for aa fairer evaluation of the songwriter’s abilities as a wordsmith. But many contemporary artists skip this step, which is mildly annoying. But then it is heartening to know that this is available to those who obtain her music from the Bandcamp platform. Still Miss Jerrom articulates her vocals with precision and lyricism; that much is clear.

Miss Jerrom’s voice is crystalline, bell-like, with an appealing gleam at the top, albeit a little limited in its dynamic range. Her essentially non-interventionist approach [to music] lets her clean, clear vocal lines do the primary work. Moreover, her diction is admirably clear throughout. Songs such as “Things That Came Out of the Sea” and “Tiny Lights” that sound like operetta arias also impress with arrangements that feature Mr Card’s shimmering guitar lines. Moments such as these, where it is also left to Mr Card to supply emotional density are memorable.

The guitarist’s playing [as is Miss Jerrom’s own pianism and the artful performances by contrabassist Rob McBride and drummer Jeff Luciani together with Joe Lapinski on “Rose”] gives this music by Miss Jerrom a very special grace.

Track list – 1: Snowblind; 2: Accolade Parade; 3: Fata Morgana; 4: The Persistence of Water; 5: Things That Come Out of the Sea; 6: Memorabilia; 7: Illusions; 8: Rose; 9: Sleeping Buffalo Rises; 10: Plastic Stuff; 11: Wheel Remember; 12: Fergus; 13: Tiny Lights

Personnel – Sarah Jerrom: vocals and piano; Harley Card: guitar and vocals; Rob McBride: contrabass; Jeff Luciani: drums and percussion; with – Joe Lapinski: acoustic guitar and vocals [8]

Released – 2021
Label – Three Pines Records [TPR-002]
Runtime – 1:08:26