Valerie June - The Moon and the Stars

The Guardian 0

(Concord)
The Tennessee singer-songwriter’s bittersweet country soul with an astral bent fares best when it’s kept simple

Tennessee-born Valerie June leads meditation sessions and makes her own soap; Bob Dylan has taken note of her wide-ranging roots music and versatile voice. Her previous recorded outings have struggled to consistently capture June’s charmed take on country-folk blues – and her tilt towards the astral plane.

Most here will know June from 2013’s Pushin’ Against a Stone, which foregrounded Black Key Dan Auerbach’s production work. The Moon and Stars adds multitracked vocals, reverb and a gently psychedelic take on Memphis soul to all of the above. It’s a three-dimensional listen, often old-timey or borderline new age, littered with meditations, proverbs and birdsong.