NEW ALBUMS
JUNI HABEL
Norwegian singer-songwriter makes a virtue of simplicity
All Ears KOKE PLATE
8/10
There are several reasons why Juni Habel’s debut album is so fetching, but the biggest may be the playful aspect that colours even the most delicate and forlorn songs here. It’s a quality that connects her to Joni Mitchell, a hero she further evokes with her fingerpicking style as guitarist and her songs’ continual shifts between moments of gentle grace and a brisker tumble of details and feelings. Performed, recorded and produced by Habel at home with a few assists from family members, All Ears benefits from great simplicity and clarity of intent, as well as a warmth that’s understandably rare among like-styled Nordic folkies who have to cope with those interminable winter eves.