Ethan Jano - I'll Be Fine (Self-Released)

It seems like every day there’s a million new musicians part of the new folk revival, but rarely do they come across as genuine and captivating as Ethan Jano. A Pennsylvanian musician set to release his new album, I’ll Be Fine, Jano could have easily been found amongst the folk revival of the 50s and 60s alongside artists like Pete Seeger and early Bob Dylan at his folkiest. The songs on I’ll Be Fine are all relatively topical, and yet there’s still something classical and traditional about his approach, echoing themes that have been sung for decades but with a new relevancy.

Jano’s voice is as warm and earthy as the production here, stripped down to its essentials, often with no other sounds except Jano and his guitar. Occasionally, he drifts into just as welcome Country and Rock and Roll-tinged diversions, with clear influences of Johnny Cash on songs like the bouncing “I Don’t Care.” The songs here are succinct—the title track itself only a minute and a half long—and it’s a nice surprise, whether Jano is himself aware of folk occasional tendency to drag on, or if it’s just his two and a half minute Rock and Roll influences showing through.

Either way, I’ll Be Fine is never boring, always interesting, and a breath of fresh air from a voice with finally something worth saying. I’ll Be Fine will be released February 10th.