Jenny Gillespie

Texan Jenny Gillespie lists a wealth of musical genres that she personally follows and to a certain extent, that's reflected in the music she creates. Her first album might have focussed more on folk, but this isn't the case with follow-up Kindred. Initially, the most obvious reference point is the Cocteau Twins, but very soon Gillespie plays her complete hand, demonstrating more range than expected. She flirts with new age folk, electronica and chamber pop with a relative amount of success, showing that she knows which artists to look towards if you're going to do this kind of thing. That translates into a bit of Kate Bush, a touch of Sarah McLachlan and some Tori Amos, meaning that Gillespie begins to disappear behind the people she sounds like rather than finding her own identity. There are moments when Gillespie does shine though, such as on opener "Golden Central," with its driving piano and drums, and a cover of Doug Burr's "In The Garden," which she turns into a slow-building chant of spirituality. Clearly Gillespie has the best intentions and some of the right ideas, but the end results fall flatter than they should.