Folk rock seems to be the vogue at the moment, with the likes of Mumford and Sons gaining the support of the masses, it was inevitable that similar sounds from the genre would start popping up around us.
Enter Amber and Little Criminals. Coming out of the creative Brooklyn, New York, Amber offers a light and refreshing slant on folk rock. It isn’t in your face, it doesn’t shout loud and you know what, we love her all the more for it. What you have here is fantastic, uncluttered songwriting.
When I think about music and New York, bands like the New York Dolls, Ramones, The Strokes and Yeah Yeah Yeahs spring to mind. For a place that once held iconic venues such as CBGBs and was part of the American punk explosion, its easy to forget its also spawned another folk great, Jeff Buckley.
I’m not sure you could compare Amber to the likes of Jeff Buckley but what her music does is remind me of the coffee house, intimate venue atmosphere of the 90s that Buckley was such a huge part of.
In a time where more than ever it seems that all thats being offered to the masses is an uber polished, excessively produced shadow of what music can be, it’s a welcome respite to hear a woman singing honestly, catching our attention without the need for pizzaz and drama.
You can listen to Amber and Little Criminals on Myspace and buy her album on iTunes.
Gillan Williams