Jonatha Brooke Live

Jonatha Brooke Live, Jonatha Brooke (Bad Dog Records)

Like the ocean, Jonatha Brooke’s music can be both comforting and unsettling.

There’s something wise and nurturing about her voice, but she doesn’t shy away from life’s uncertainties – complicated relationships and those experiences that defy neat categories.

Always is a fable about a princess seeking “a room of her own.” By song’s end she finds empowerment and freedom, yet there’s a steep price to be paid.

The song is at once joyful and quietly sad, like a manatee’s gaze.

In fact, this whole collection is comprised of emotion-laden tracks that bring out the best in the Boston native, formerly with the band, The Story.

The stripped-down production allows her rich, tawny voice to magically weave her poignant stories.

Another noteworthy tune is Blood From a Stone, a touching tale of the complexities of mother/daughter relationships.

Brooke’s observations are dead-on and devastating: “Silence has become our only currency/you pay me and I’ll be sure to pay you back.”

--Heidi Johnson-Wright