Janileigh Cohen – As a Child

Singer/Songwriter | Folk | Baroque Pop

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I recall writing some years ago about Janileigh Cohen’s track ‘Same Old Road’. How it reminded me of a song from one of those timeless records from the golden age of singer/songwriters. Those albums you put on when the world becomes a bit too much, and you need an oasis of warmth and comfort. Where the music wraps around you like a warm blanket, sustains you like a homecooked meal, settles the storm raging in your head the way only a much needed moment of quiet can. ‘Same Old Road’ has been a fondly remembered keepsake tucked away in some corner of my mind, and yet brushing off the dust and listening to it again, it’s every bit as beautiful as I remember it. The gorgeous heart-warming piano tone, the tasteful and elegant string arrangement, the warmth of Janileigh’s assured vocal performance. It feels fitting for it to now be the opening track of her debut album, all these years later. That same old road connecting past and present.

The rest of the album is every bit the calming, safe-harbour, classic singer/songwriter sound I’d always hoped it would be. ‘Born In Chains’ pairs an upswell of steel guitar with warm, emotive brass in its latter half that evokes an image of sprawling sun-kissed plains, stretching out before you from horizon to horizon. The title track ‘As a Child’ does a superb job of marrying traditional Celtic folk sensibilities with a bit of rustic Americana. I remember learning that the Scottish highlands and the Appalachians were formed as part of the same mountain range; I’d like to think that in some way explains the evident shared DNA when hearing the two region’s folk traditions woven together so beautifully.

Elsewhere, ‘Nothin’ Blues’ dips into a darker sound that evokes gnarled ancient woodlands that have generations of folklore and cautionary tales whispered about them, while ‘Sister’ grows from crisp piano balladry to some of the record’s most spellbinding orchestration. I can’t begin to count the number of singer/songwriters I’ve heard over the years whose work has felt held back by its own austerity. Crying out for at least one other piece of instrumentation to flesh out the arrangement. The elegant, sweeping string arrangements found here are a real breath of fresh air for the most part; tastefully done, adding another dimension to tracks without overshadowing the songwriting at their heart, or burying Janileigh’s soft soothing vocals.

After a time however, As a Child‘s greatest strength becomes a crutch it leans on a bit too heavily. When every track is built up with this lush orchestration, it begins to lose some of its impact, and individual tracks begin to have less of a unique identity as a result. The stunning piano tone on tracks like ‘Head Above Water’ and ‘Peace of Mind’ would have been enough to carry those songs on its own, and I think having a couple of moments like that on the album, where all the opulence is stripped away, would have felt quite impactful. Likewise on ‘Apart of You’ and ‘Small Things’ we’re given fleeting tastes of harmonica and mandolin respectively. I think building around these elements, making them the centrepiece instead of falling back on more strings, would have added some welcome diversity to the album’s sound. These small nit-picks aside, Janileigh has delivered a wonderfully refined and well-crafted debut. One able to balance lush orchestral opulence and still maintain the intimacy and heartfelt storytelling of a true singer/songwriter.