Sarah Jarosz - Precocious bluegrass prodigy?

Album: Song Up in Her Head
Song: Song Up in Her Head
Hipster Rejection Scale: 6 of 10.
Factors: teenager, clawhammer banjos.

Precocious bluegrass prodigy? Check. Appearances on A Prairie Home Companion? Check. Grammy nod? Bingo. Anti-hipster trifecta. But Sarah Jarosz's album Song Up in Her Head is more than just a contender for several album-of-the-year honors; it's a taste of things to come. Listeners growing tired of bearded neo-folkies may discover Sarah Jarosz's music to be a logical next step -- most apparent in her reworking of The Decemberists' "Shankhill Butchers." Where she really shines is with haunting originals such as the title track, performed with vocal confidence and multi-instrumental mastery (guitar, banjo, mandolin, piano) that belie her 18 years. —David Brown