Fear And The Framing – Jessica Sligter

Courageous second album

In 2010 the Dutch singer-songwriter Jessica Sligter released her critically acclaimed debut album, “Balls and Kittens, Draught and Strangling Rain”, on the Hubro label under the name of JÆ. Journalists compared her to Will Oldham, Linda Perhacs, Josephine Foster, Scott Walker and Morrisey (!), to mention only a few. Now, for her second album, Jessica is leaving the name JÆ behind her and is fronting the project under her real name, Jessica Sligter. In 2011 she released the film-inspired rock album “Window’s a Fall” with a side project, Sacred Harp, but her solo project has always had priority. Jessica has toured extensively in the USA, Scandinavia and Western Europe in the past few years, and has built up a group of devoted fans. It is not improbable that this new album will expand her number of followers considerably. Jessica still commutes between Norway and the Netherlands, and her new album, “Fear and the Framing”, was recorded with friends from the music scenes in Oslo, Bergen and Amsterdam. Sligter has a unique ability to form intriguing band constellations and to bring out the distinctive qualities of each musician. Jessica has taken a number of radical steps, musically speaking, since her previous solo album. While her debut was folk-infused and acoustic, this new album is more electric and sombre. Jessica’s characteristic vocals remain the primary focus, but thereis something ominous in both her lyrics and the massive, atmospheric soundscape. Fear runs as a theme throughout the lyrics of the album, and the musical scope ranges from utterly naked to more dramatic and abstract songs and moods. “Fear and the Framing” is a courageous album from a distinctive singer-songwriter of substance.