St. Louis native Angel Olsen had managed to put together a nice resume since coming onto the scene in 2009. She has put out three solo albums and a debut EP as well as collaborated with renowned folk artist William Oldham, aka Bonnie "Prince" Billy.
Olsen released My Woman last year and is easily one of my favorites of 2016. She has been touring nonstop in support of that album, and along the way has managed to mass an impressive underground following. I’m sure having her album placed on several music critics' lists didn’t hurt either.
Saturday night’s SOLD OUT show at the Republic was a showcase of talent, to say the least. The set, as expected, was heavy on last year’s release as well as her sophomore album, Burn Your Fire for No Witness. If ever there was an album title to complement an artist’s musical stylings, Burn Your Fire for No Witness would easily be that one for Olsen. Her style of sappy folk pays homage to Roy Orbison in so many ways that at times you wonder if she is channeling him directly.
As I made my way to the stage, XTC’s “Making Plans for Nigel” was playing, and it couldn’t have been a better a mood-setter. Granted, the song, which came out in 1979, was a good ten years older than the crowd at hand, but they didn’t seem to care. Olsen came out and played two of my favorite songs off My Woman within the first three songs, so I didn’t have to worry all night if they were going to get played or not. This, in turn, let the rest of the evening flow even easier and let me enjoy the rest of the set for what it was, a purely entertaining ride. You can see more shots here: http://jalbum.net/a/1782025
