BETTER THAN EARNEST: Libby Johnson splits the difference between Aimee Mann and Julianne Moore. |
Earlier this year, this New York–based folkie had a handful of her songs featured in the Julianne Moore flick Trust the Man. In 1999, Aimee Mann had some of her tunes included in another Julianne Moore movie, Magnolia. And that’s not the only similarity the two singer-songwriters share: like Mann, Libby Johnson — who used to play with her sister Carrie in the Lilith Fair–featured 22 Brides — writes about relationships with a knowing yet gentle skepticism. “Where is the honor in staying too long?” she wonders in “Good To Go,” casting doubt on the wisdom of both Dr. Phil and earnest coffeeshop crooners who routinely mistake obstinacy for courage. Johnson’s tunecraft isn’t as developed as Mann’s; at its most generic, Annabella blands out into the sort of strummy acoustic wallpaper that middle-aged NPR listeners use as home decor. But she’s good enough to warrant your trusting Moore on her next iPod pick.
Libby Johnson | Alchemist Lounge, 435 South Huntington Ave, Jamaica Plain | December 14 | 617.477.5741
