8/10

When they released their breakthrough debut LP 'Then I Try Some More' in 2021, New York-based singer-songwriter Joanna Sternberg was greeted as one of the more lovelorn names arriving on the US bustling folk scene. Keeping their guise as rustic and traditional as possible, they revitalised this iconic genre for a modern ear, revamping the seminal romance in their prose in order to find a new audience for their sound. And now with the cloak of the pandemic finally lifted from their tenure, they return with their vibrant sophomore album 'I've Got Me', a record that looks to double down on those original ideas.

From the very start, 'I've Got Me' has this immediately raw and unfiltered approach to its sound. While the recording was produced and engineered in Brooklyn’s Strange Weather Studios, it feels like they have deliberately kept any additional interference and flair away from the final product, giving it this wonderfully bare and stripped-back appeal from start to finish. Giving Sternberg's incredible voice centre stage throughout this new collection really heightens their lyrical prowess, and creates this beautifully serene and comforting listen that harks back to some of their earliest influences.

Sounding like you have come straight out of a 1960s folk den is never easy, especially given all the tech that has brought the sound roaring into the 21st century, but 'I've Got Me' has such a beautifully nostalgic feel to it, it is hard not to get washed up in it all. Joanna Sternberg has delivered a strong and commanding return that pushes their vibrant legacy forward once again.