Two Favorites of 2017: Faye Webster & Angelica Rockne

Two standout records of 2017 that may have easily flown under your radar are by two women we’ll likely be hearing a lot more from in the coming year. First, there was Faye Webster’s self-titled sophomore record, a follow-up to her 2013 debut Run and Tell, on Awful Records. And second there was Angelica Rockne’s self-released Queen of San Antonio. Both were stellar releases from young artists already so string and assured in their voices, and neither can be boxed into a genre.

My introduction to Webster came when I caught her opening set for Julia Jacklin just a few months after her record’s release. It was instantly compelling. The way her soft, angelic vocals seemed to glide coolly alongside an equally smooth steel guitar, and with earworm melodies that felt impossible to get out of my head even after hearing them just once, I did a deep dive, immersing myself in all of her work. At 19, Webster’s music feels seasoned and natural, like she just came into this world sounding that good. Her voice is a deep well of feelings, though pure and sweet somehow. She always sounds just a little bit melancholy, and her songwriting is rife with detailed observations of the world around her. “Wrong People” has her offering up some practical advice to a misguided friend: “If you’re the smartest man in the room/You’re hanging with the wrong people.” And “It Doesn’t Work Like That” counts the many ways life disappoints us and lets us down, and our constant dissatisfaction with it. This isn’t light fare, but it sure sounds pretty. Where her last record felt a little twangier, Webster has stepped in a more pop-centric direction, and the change suits her, particularly on the album’s catchiest track, “She Won’t Go Away”.

Angelica Rockne’s Queen of San Antonio is a dreamy, mellow retro country rock record that will bewitch you from its start. The sun-drenched, west coast cool vibe of Rockne’s woozy vocals is ideal for daydreaming about being some place warm. The songs on Queen of San Antonio are twangy, but only a bit. Mostly you’ll hear sonic references to 1970s rock with lyrics about hard drinking, rodeos, honkytonks and two-timing. But Rockne makes it all fresh and new again and the unpredictable turns her voice can take keep you hanging onto every note she sings. At times she coos before suddenly sounding smoky and deep – it’s riveting either way. “Whiskey Men” finds her moving on from the lowlife suitors of her past, and on “Baby”, psychedelic guitar riffs take us on a mesmerizing journey. But the true standout is “Dr. John”, a fever dream of finding your way in New Orleans, with a tambourine and plenty of cocaine. The sparkling guitar melody draws us in to this warm world Rockne has created.