Anna May (Folk / Jazz / Doo Wop / Country / Sheer Quality)
Effortless quality. Anna May has the confidence to just strum and sing and I could listen to her all day long. And she's muttering about coming to play in London so keep an eye out!
The word that came to mind when first listening to Anna May was effortless. In the new video, which you can see at the bottom of this post, she barely touches the guitar strings. Her mouth barely opens. But what sound! Although her Instagram handle nails her to the label folk I think she is a lot of other things as well. I would say country or jazz. Somewhere she mentions doo wop. Twice. This would make it 1940s most likely, a period close to my own heart at the moment. But in fact it feels timeless. She's very, very good.
I've been listening to Elegy and The Show most often today. Elegy is already out but the video definitely adds something. It will be available more widely on June 20th. Anna writes so well about her own music there's barely anything left for me to do.
Alternative folk artist Anna May tackles grief through the lens of Southern California on her newest single, Elegy. The video for Elegy, shot by Taylor Hungerford in Sherman Oaks, California accompanies the single. Elegy is the anticipated follow up to Anna's last release, The Show, which was KUTX's song of the day in August of 2024.
Note she is claiming alt-folk not alt-country but it is surely both. One of the things you soon notice about Anna is that she likes long songs. These are not very often three-minute miracles. We're talking Pink Floyd or early Genesis length. Wonderful ten-minuters that lightly caress your ears. She refers to these as soundscapes.
In case there remains any doubt about Anna's range, have a listen to the Chappell Roan cover below. Such a delicate treatment. You will see what I mean about the word effortless. Her lips barely move and her hand barely touches that guitar. Still waters can run very deep indeed. Anna May has an enormous future. But what's her last name?
I got to know Anna a little bit writing this. I think she emailed me first and then we went back and forth about topics like getting a UK tour off the ground. She's living in Connecticut at the moment, which is her home state, although she had a stint in Nashville and I think that shows in her professionalism. She's done so many things that her website is overflowing with interviews, videos of live appearances, awards. She's just one happy accident away from making a huge breakthrough.
There's a photo of Anna at Land's End in San Francisco. It looks a lot like Land's End in England. There is something English or even Celtic about her sensibilities and even her appearance. Sometimes she reminds me of Enya or Clannad. Perhaps Tori Amos.
Anna has some beautiful summaries and commentary on her inspirations and style on her own website. Do take a look as there is so much there to catch your eye. Here is an example.
The deep exploration of heartbreak and trauma has been an ongoing quest throughout Anna's work. Her lyrics have been heavily textured by a lonesome whimsicality that finds itself most at home in the vastness of the American West or in landscapes of stark frontiers. Anna's music honors the nomadic spirit with memory, meditation & fresh interpretations of folk music and jazz influence. She honors a hope to enhance connection, humility, healing, and joy among people in the process of parting with typical genre rules.
I know that I will have more to write about Anna this spring and summer. She has a lot to say as you can see from just one Instagram post. You might say she is bursting with ideas, emotions and music. And as with many of the artists I profile here, you can get in on the ground floor. She is just getting started.
You can learn more about Anna on her website. She has a Bandcamp which is where you can support Anna directly in various ways, or you can stream wherever you prefer to do that.
