Set beside the current crop of attention-seeking female singer-songwriters, Jane Weaver is a modest soul. The Manchester girl clearly believes that less is more, allowing her fragile vocals to remain half-buried under the pastoral sounds of her backing band which includes members of indie heroes Elbow and Twisted Nerve. Sighing wind chimes and lilting strings are well to the fore, underpinning these delicately lovely songs of lost love and missed opportunities. The result is a small but perfectly formed collection of sparkling lullabies, reminiscent of a slightly ethereal Beth Orton. Wistful and passionate by turns, Like An Aspen Leaf is quite simply a debut album of enormous promise. Strange how the most modest musicians are sometimes those with least to be modest about.
