People say you can strip a good song down to its bare bones and it will still be a good song. Charleston recording artist Saint Joan has proved that adage true with her new EP Sawyer Sessions.
The EP is a haunting, atmospheric collection of five cover songs, almost hypnotic in its simplicity. Most of the backing tracks on Sawyer Sessions are minimal to the point of being skeletal. A lone acoustic guitar here, a subtle wash of keyboard there. The spotlight is firmly on the songs and Saint Joan’s powerful, versatile voice.
The song selection is fascinating. She opens the EP with a classic like Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m On Fire,” and immediately follows it up with a striking version of the lone 1996 hit by Primitive Radio Gods, “Standing Outside A Broken Phone Booth With Money In My Hand.”
Next up is a shivery take on The Cranberries’ “No Need To Argue” that sounds like it could’ve been recorded in a church, followed by Dawes’ “Million Dollar Bill.” The final track is a warm, hazy cover of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s “Open Invitation” that features a vocal assist from Saint Joan’s husband.
The Sawyer Sessions EP, so named because it was recorded at her apartment on Sawyer Street, is largely a solo home-recorded gem, although friend and frequent collaborator Aaron Utterback of the Charleston band Human Resources provided the backing tracks for “Million Dollar Bill” and the Primitive Radio Gods tune.
She said the home recording was done for a couple of reasons — cost being one of them.
“Going into a studio with a producer,” she said, “which is what I did with my last album Ashes and what I plan to do with my next album — it’s expensive. But [also], I’m pretty picky about my vocal sound. So I really wanted to try to dial that in by doing it myself.”
When it came to the song selection, she said she simply picked songs that she loves, no matter what era they’re from.
“These are songs that meant something to me over the last 20 years,” she said. “They’re songs that I love, like Bruce Springsteen’s ‘I’m On Fire.’ I’ve probably been listening to that since I was 10. And I grew up on the Cranberries’ No Need To Argue album.”
As for her bare-bones approach, she said that was both a conscious choice and a necessity.
“I had to figure out a way to just strip the songs back because I’m not really a seasoned musician,” she said. “Eighteen years ago when I lived in Los Angeles, I was actually doing all my own recording at home on an old 12-track in my apartment. It was before Pro Tools, before anyone did DIY albums. I didn’t have any money to go into a studio, so I had to learn how to do it myself. And I really wanted to get back to that with Sawyer Sessions.”
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