I bought Kate Jacobs' debut disc years ago not because of anything I'd heard about her, as I recall, but because Dave Schramm played all of the guitars and produced the disc. At the time, I was a nut for Schramm's music. In addition to his own group, the Schramms, he'd also been an early member of Yo La Tengo (those great leads on Ride the Tiger are mostly his, not Ira's) and played with Peter Holsapple and Chris Stamey on their tour in support of the duo record, Mavericks.

So, when I saw that he was involved with this disc -- and saw that it was on Bar/None, which at least at the time was a trademark of quality -- I picked it up. And while I still appreciate Schramm's tasteful guitar and production here, it is Jacobs' songs that keeps me coming back.

Jacobs, who now has four CDs to her name spread over the past 14 years, has a sweet, almost girlish voice, and her songs contain a similar sweetness that is leavened by Schramm's slightly darker guitar work. It's a sound that is deceptive. Though you might think at first that it is slight, the depth of Jacobs' writing and the emotion with which she conveys it give these songs some bite. Consider her a more earthy Mary Chapin-Carpenter, a less-ragged Lucinda Williams or a considerably less twangy Iris DeMent.

Things start quickly with the title track, Schramm's guitar setting the tone and Jacobs following right behind with one of the best melodies on the disc. With clever wordplay she depicts a bad relationship and averrs that the calm comes after, not before. "Deep Talk" is another satisfying blend of Schramm's tasteful playing and Jacobs' wily ways with a melody. Over the course of a generous 15 tracks, things don't change much stylistically, but there is a uniform quality to these tunes that makes the whole disc a compelling, warm listen.

For some reason I never ventured beyond this disc in Jacobs' catalog. Revisiting The Calm Comes After and finding it as good as ever, however, makes me want to further investigate. All of Jacobs' discs have earned rave reviews, including her most recent, 2004's You Call That Dark, which again featured guitar and production from Schramm.

MP3: The Calm Comes After
MP3: One Good Night

Labels: music, OOTS