ALBUM REVIEW: Cassandra Jenkins – An Overview on Phenomenal Nature

Ba Da Bing!
Released: 19.02.21

“The goal was to be more fluid, to be more like the clouds shifting constantly,” explains Manhattan native Cassandra Jenkins of spontaneous process which spawned her second solo album. ‘Fluid’ is certainly an apt term for Phenomenal Nature, yet scarce are the occasions where its serene dream-folk sounds off-the-cuff. Indeed, at its finest – as on illuminating spoken word of Hard Drive, or the medicinal tranquillity of New Bikini – Jenkins serves moments of genuine show-stopping splendour; cushioning her sedate vocal in a gorgeously sax-splashed instrumental bed.

Previously a back-up player for the likes of Eleanor Friedberger, Craig Finn and Purple Mountains (another standout, Ambiguous Norway, is a numbing farewell to David Berman), Phenomenal Nature showcases a songwriter thoroughly meriting a breakout of her own.