Judith Owen, Here (Courgette)

 

The subversive sense of humor that leads part-time New Orleanian Judith Owen to record cabaret versions of “Eye of the Tiger” on Here and “Smoke on the Water” on 2005’s Lost and Found is a little misleading. It’s an essential part of her art, as are the vocal dynamics while playing piano that prompt people to compare her to Tori Amos. They’re all a part of her charm, but they obscure the classic, Joni Mitchell-esque Californian singer/songwriter that is at the core of Owen’s work. The songs are personal without being confessional, intimate without being private. There’s just enough poetry to give the songs grace and loveliness, but not so much as to draw attention from the thought expressed. As a result, little gets between Owen and her audience. The title cut is a beautiful, melancholy expression of loss and desire, and the only way to not feel it is to not value the things that make up her art.