Written over years and shaped by busking roots in Manchester, Janileigh Cohen’s As a Child blends delicate songwriting with rich arrangements and contributions from acclaimed folk musicians such as Sam Sweeney, marking the arrival of a thoughtful new voice on the contemporary folk scene.

Janileigh Cohen’s songs sprung from humble beginnings - written in her Grandma’s shed near Bolton and honed through busking on the streets of Manchester. Yet, her new release , ‘As a Child’ is a seriously accomplished debut album, featuring well regarded folk musicians such as fiddle player Sam Sweeney. Despite the star-studded line up, Cohen has done well to retain a gentle modesty which reflects her roots and makes her music deeply personal.

Her career is clearly on an upwards trajectory, after several of her early tracks were featured on TV shows, and ‘As a Child’ will undoubtedly help to consolidate her as a rising star on the singer-songwriter circuit. Her delicate voice and sentimental tone has sincerity and gentle conviction, and the wistful string arrangements add musical depth and poignancy. With a strong foundation and a clear musical identity, Cohen is perfectly positioned to further experiment with diverse textures, tempos and dynamics, which will help to unlock even more powerful emotional layers in her future work.

Nothin’ Blues is the standout track of the album and is a well chosen single. The opening guitar riff is instantly captivating and she balances a lyrical assertiveness with a delicate fragility to her voice.The track is an excellent example of modern folk song arrangement, with the building of tension through emotive string arrangements, as well as vocal harmonies adding drive and a sense of urgency to the piece.

Janileigh Cohen is certainly one to watch out for on the folk singer-songwriter scene, it will be exciting to see how her March tour with Eric Bibb goes, and to see her already distinctive style blossom and develop.

The album As a Child is available for pre-order
in vinyl, cd and digital download on Bandcamp

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