Anais Mitchell - Xoa

It is always a joy to get a new album by Anais Mitchell. With the recently released 'Xoa' she really gets back to basics for this is just Anais with her acoustic guitar and her unusual voice. Oh and of course her wonderful songs.

Having given birth to a daughter Ramona last year, Mitchell hooked up again with Nashville producer Gary Paczosa who also produced her collaboration with Jefferson Hamer ('Child Ballads'} and they worked through a number of songs both old and new. The album includes selections from the wonderful 'Hadestown' which can be heard for the first time on record with Mitchell's voice to the fore. There are also of course a few tracks from 'Young Man In America' and a couple which go back even further to 'The Brightness (2007)' and 'Hymns for the Exiled (2004)'.

Having seen Mitchell doing a live solo show in February this year, I am familiar with many of these arrangements so the album holds few surprises for me - though there are of course a handful of brand new songs to enjoy. Nevertheless this is a lovely album to listen to. Mitchell is a great songwriter and hearing her songs unadorned by other voices and instruments allows such songs to be heard without distractions .There is also a very intimate feel to the whole thing, the producer allowing the sound of fingers squeaking on guitar strings to remain. Listening to the album is a little like having the singer in the same room with you. 

I am of course looking forward to hearing Mitchell's next album of totally new material and I would love to see her reacquainted with producer Todd Sickafoose who did such a great job on 'Young Man In America'. Meanwhile I will continue to enjoy this album which incidentally is named after the way Mitchell signs off her correspondence. Kisses, hugs, Anais (xoa).