Once you hear the name Noe Venable, you won't easily forget it. Once you hear
Noe Venable, you'll never forget her. Venable is a San Francisco-based singer-songwriter who has a ton of talent packed into her tiny frame. So much so in fact, that the high priestess of female folk, Ani DiFranco, selected Venable to fill the opening slot on the most recent leg of her never-ending tour. Boots is Venable's third outing, and it's her best. That's not to say that No Curses Here and Down Easy are worse, they're just not quite as beautiful as Boots. Venable's ability to blend folk, pop, county and jazz elements is sharper and more compelling than ever, the mix of guitar, bass, piano and strings is richer, and her pixie-like voice has never been more flowing and beguiling. Maybe this is what Sheryl Crow would have sounded like if she had chased art over commerce, or maybe it's like Suzanne Vega streaking through the woods on opium. The title track kicks off the dozen delightful ditties. It's a low-key, smoky and slithering ode to self reliance, and when Venable sings the line, "I have my boots to carry me," well, you've likely never heard the word "boots" sung quite so harmingly. "Julia" reveals herself to be delicate and gorgeous, "Tinkerbell" is mysterious and haunting and enable's "Happiness" is sprightly and earnest with just a touch of the blues. The word chanteuse has been used and abused as of late, but in Venable's case, it fits like a pair of comfy, trusted boots.
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