I’ve Been Captivated by Faye Webster’s Sound
Maybe this is the Texan in me speaking, but I am absolutely a sucker for a steel guitar. However, when I came across Faye Webster’s music, I was a bit surprised to hear the use of a steel guitar, given her more indie vibe. And thus began my spiral into her discography.
Although I know the steel guitar originated in Hawaii and is used for many genres, I typically tend to associate its sound with Western Swing or Honky Tonk music. Upon first listen of Faye Webster, I immediately felt like I was in a dream the moment the sound of the steel guitar appeared. Because the way she incorporated that instrument, it seem to create a sort of dreamscape for the song and story it was telling, and less of a yeehaw, which was such a refreshing sound to experience.
As I started to dig deeper into the collection of her work, I would continue to notice different instruments being incorporated that I wasn’t expecting. In many songs she will throw in a saxophone and then the next song will sound like she practically has a full string orchestra. The best part is that every incorporation of these instruments makes absolute sense for the song and blends seamlessly into the performance.
When I started to do a little research into her background to get a better grasp for where these musical influences came from and how exactly Faye Webster pieced together her unique sound, I was even more surprised to find that she got her start in music by being a part of a rap group in Atlanta with her friends in high school. Her musical influences start from the day she was born with her grandfather playing in a bluegrass band and her mother being a fiddle and guitar player. Having been surrounded by music her whole life, it is no surprise that she released her debut album at only 16. Since then she has continued to steadily put out new music that continues to bend genres.
After giving her discography a listen, I have been trying to wrap my head around what exactly makes her sound so captivating. Of course she isn’t the first artist to throw in a steel guitar or blend the influences of various genres together, but I think what sets her sound a part is simply her point of view when creating these songs. You can tell that her musical influences are so vast and the moments she chooses to incorporate different sounds makes so much sense that you just know she understands the best parts about her favorite genres without it coming off as trying too hard to be genre bending. Many times when listening to her music, I kept thinking to myself “man this is all so dreamy” and I think that dream-like feeling comes from the seamless blend of influences.
If I tried to describe Faye Webster’s sound to someone I would say that it is a mix between Mazzy Star and Phoebe Bridgers with a jazzy, yeehaw twist. I know that sounds absolutely ridiculous, but once you give her music a listen it will make complete sense! Although I may be a bit late to the Faye Webster game, I am now completely captivated and cannot wait to see what sounds she continues to wow listeners with throughout her musical career. If you have yet to give her music a chance, give the song “Kingston” a listen below and try to tell me it doesn’t sound completely hypnotic!
