There’s an old soul lurking within ‘Leaves’ by Julia Greenberg. The acoustic guitar lines and upright bass evoke elements of Joni Mitchell’s folk-jazz crossover sound circa 1974 at first, but the feeling of hearing something classic runs far deeper than that. An unpolished vocal owes more to Marianne Faithfull and her unapologically confessional style, and the presence of a tasteful accordion gives the feeling of something distinctly European. With a lack of percussion, the listener is constantly drawn towards the vocal and the lyric, shared with a perfect confidence, but despite a wordy approach, ‘Leaves’ is also a track that flaunts a simple and catchy hook, making it feel perfectly rounded. Working its charms from the very first listen, this is a must-hear for lovers of singer-songwriter fare, and by flaunting a defiantly vintage quality, it gives Greenberg’s ‘Born Sentimental’ EP a very strong centrepiece.
As enjoyable as that may be, it’s not actually the EP’s finest track. That honour goes to ‘Checking On You’, a dark waltz which has faint echoes of late 70s Tom Waits with its mournful melody, and less positive lyrical content. The waltz provides the most natural fit for the accordion, whilst a more prominent bass punctuates one of Greenberg’s best vocals adding further to a very rootsy feel. Although this is more of a mood piece than the rest of the release, there’s a natural quality to the recording itself which could make the listener believe they’d stumbled upon an unreleased cut from decades earlier.
Venturing further into a world of old fashioned folk-pop, the title cut sounds like a dead ringer for Gallagher and Lyle in places, something helped by its easy tones and dominant accordion. The music fits Greenberg’s voice, but certainly doesn’t care for any kind of “cool factor”, but the very 70s vibe cutting through the track has a charm of its own, and the same could be said for ‘Sidney Herbert Brunner’ which, at times, sounds like Julia Greenberg tackling a Steeleye Span deep cut where, again, the sparsely approached upright bass provides a musical highlight. Centring around a big vocal and understated acoustic guitar strums, ‘Sometimes The Sea’ calls back to a wealth of great singer songwriter wares from the 90s, and is almost guaranteed to appeal to those who love the ballads of Shaun Colvin, Dayna Manning and Patti Griffin, as well as tapping into the more sedate elements of the Indigo Girls catalogue, whilst retaining a charm of its own. The way an upright bass fills space gives the recording a natural backbone, complimenting a terrific vocal throughout, but if anything makes a lasting impression beyond Greenberg’s natural cry and a lyric loaded with strong imagery, it’s a prominent accordion melody that adds a folky twist and also gives everything a vaguely nautical feel befitting of the tale that unravels. This is a great example of how music needn’t be complex to leave a lasting impression.
This doesn’t all work, however: ‘Swam’ applies a shrill vocal over a slightly disjointed melody that sounds like it’ll slip into a tango at any moment. As before, the bass is great, but it doesn’t do enough to save the track from being an acquired taste, but thankfully, that’s balanced out by ‘Calling You Home’, a folk influenced workout where Julia drops a huge vocal trill against a world of strummed guitars and a clear sounding upright bass. Although the heart of the number pulls from old folk traditions – something further accented by the presence of an accordion lending a very European edge – the way the bass punches through also brings a hugely welcome jazz tone, almost as if eavesdropping on Pentangle’s Danny Thompson (RIP) working through a simple warm up. As with ‘Leaves’, however, no matter where the music goes, it’s impossible not to focus on Greenberg’s vocal, and her use of slightly louder tones here, coupled with some great harmonies, lend this piece an atmosphere that owes as much to 70s easy listening fare as trad folk, capturing the performer in what could arguably be considered her purest form.
‘Born Sentimental’ certainly won’t move people who are not into the folkier side of things, of course, and the easy tones shared throughout care not for fashion, but when approached in the right mood, you’ll discover a release that feels as if it really deserves your attention. There’s far more at stake here than throwaway entertainment: Greenberg’s shunning of a contemporary musical approach gives this EP’s best material a timeless quality, while the live sounding production values bring her narrative driven songs to life in a pleasingly natural way. For those who can tap into such a shamelessly old school style, this is definitely worth exploring.
June 2026