They say that you have your whole life to make your first album. Jolie Anastasia didn’t wait her whole life. She didn’t wait very long at all. At just twenty-four, this young singer songwriter has debuted a folk/americana album that establishes her as an artist to watch.
This eleven-track effort from Collingwood-based singer/songwriter Anastasia has certainly made an impression – just ask anyone who was at her album release show at Marsh Street Centre. Though this is her first solo album, she’s been part of the local music scene for years playing in bands like the Hummingbyrds and North Country Girls.
With Guiding Light, she’s made the leap to a solo career with a strong backing band that moves between folk, bluegrass, and alt-country.
There are some musicians who can take a traditional sound and breathe new life into it. Their music feels nostalgic but sounds new. That’s how I interpret Guiding Light. It feels like it could have been released on a 33, sitting on a record store shelf next to CSNY or Joni Mitchell, but it sounds fresh, especially with lines about taking economics courses at school.
The title track answers the old folk music refrain: ‘do they have something to say?’ It articulates what it’s like to be young in 2026 while playfully weaving in a few metaphorical layers. “I got room for things that want to grow/ Cause in a lifetime we only get old” is a rallying cry for a younger generation who seems more cognizant of the fact that we only get one life, so best not to waste it.
She confesses that her studies in economics never felt comfortable and she’s learned some financial lessons of her own, ones you can’t find in any textbook. “I spent all my money making time/playing for a dollar/all I ever make is a dime” she sings. While the theme of money runs through the track, she also plays with light and darkness. The devil lingers in the dark corners of her mind, but she keeps him around to sing the blues with. She’s not ready to sell her soul to him quite yet.
Cover My Tracks is a standout on the album and it’s where Jolie Anastasia really asserts her sound. “I thought I had a lot to say/ but losing you took my breath away/ gone today” she sings unflinchingly before revealing a chorus that’s both melodic and dark. The moody guitar adds layers on a song Lucinda Williams would admire. It is where Anastasia is most vulnerable and ultimately wisest.
The album is textured with the softness of songs like Thin Air alongside the rollicking bluegrass of Darkened Turn of Mind. The band that provides this texture is Braden Mahon (guitar), Rae Melvin (drums/harmonica), and Kyle Dreany (bass) and the producer is none other than her father, Craig Smith, who also plays a little.
This is an album about love and loss, ingredients for any good folk or alt-country effort. Can’t go wrong with that recipe, but the real ingredient is honesty and there’s a lot of that here. It’s clear when an artist has something to say and some experience to draw one. It helps when they pen relatable lyrics based on shared experiences. Who can’t relate to lines like this: “The time ain’t right/ So I’ll pay the price.”
For a songwriter in her early twenties, she seems like she’s got the wisdom of a seasoned musician and the talent to help her become one. Find her album Guiding Light where you stream your music and go see her play live this summer.
Words Jesse Wilkinson
Photos Shjaane Glover
