Reservations - Reservations

Reservations

Reservations
self-released; 2013

3.8 out of 5

By Ted Rogan

Singer-songwriter Jana Horn is hiding behind the moniker of Reservations, an outfit that stems from the creative evolution that brought the singer from a bedroom demo to a four-piece line-up.. The self-titled EP Reservations is a collection of delicate and personal indie-folk songs, more dynamic and lively than your average ballad, but more melancholic and deeper than your carefree pop song. The production of the EP is very stripped down, and this really helps the dynamics of the music come through: clean guitar tones drenched in reverb, lap steel lines and a really essential rhythmic session are a great fit to the warmth and old school vibe of Horn's vocals, somewhere in between Daughter and Lisa Hannigan. This is just one of those records that plays on the fragility and emotional impact of the songs, that are performed in an honest, heartfelt way. It’s the kind of music that if done wrong can be disaster. Luckily Horn takes the right steps to make this work.

The first song “That Road We Traveled Down” is really good and at times reminding me of Feist. The music is soft, leaving plenty of space for the vocals to breathe. (Props to the engineers and Carl Saff for really bringing this home.) Other songs like “Endless Winding Grey” follows a similar sound as the first with slide guitar, soft drum work, and an acoustic guitar. Her vocals being the clear focal point are sung with confidence, as her voice is quite pleasant. It’s really hard to criticize anything on the album. The sparse arrangements work, her voice is gorgeous and the production is top notch. Sounds good to me.

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