Joan Shelley - Joan Shelley (2017)

Joan Shelley releases the self-titled follow up to her 2015 LP Over and Even. The album was recorded at The Loft in Chicago with Jeff Tweedy producing and again features guitarist Nathan Salsburg, this time with Jeff Tweedy, Spencer Tweedy and James Elkington accompanying Shelley on 11 new songs. Shelley says about first song 'Wild Indifference' : "If I had my way, every song would eventually lead to empathy. Music can take you out of your head and into your body and heart, where there's more opportunity for empathy and a de-escalation of the dramas we make for ourselves. That's part of the path of this one. The song is addressed to another person but circles back inward." Over and Even was an album of the year at NPR Music and in the Los Angeles Times. Rolling Stone gave it 4 stars, calling it "a masterfully turned set of folk reflections."