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About the only person who didn't love Jenn Grant's 2007 debut album Orchestra For the Moon was Grant herself.
Initially, the rapturous reviews were great. They gave the newcomer an instant profile and she toured constantly with Hayden, Danny Michel, Martin Tielli, The Weakerthans and Great Lake Swimmers.
Everything was going as anticipated for Grant until it came time to record her follow-up album, Echoes. That's when the P.E.I. native, who now calls Halifax home, found recording in the shadow of her successful first record daunting.
"It's called the sophomore jinx," Grant says from Los Angeles, where she's doing a showcase for NBC television. "Orchestra for the Moon came out of the woodwork. The critics loved it. So they had high expectations for this one. I hope they get it."
Known for her lyrical writing and the spare beauty of her voice, Grant took the less-is-more approach.
Produced by Jonathan Goldsmith, all 13 songs were recorded and mixed on a secluded farm using old-fashioned analogue recording equipment.
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The results speak for themselves. Echoes, which was released last week on Six Shooter Records, sounds old without feeling old. The mood is close and warm, thanks to a recording you can physically feel.
Just the way she wanted it.
"It turned out the way I hoped," Grant says. "I didn't want to make a big record. I wanted this to be a quieter record with a more understated feel and a more organic sound, which was understandable, given that we were recording it on a farm."
Then the 28-year-old giggles.
"I think I was channelling the music I grew up to. I remember The Beach Boys. Some of the new songs even have a surfer doo-wop sound to them."
For the moment, she's making the rounds with media before she plays the Black Sheep Inn on Saturday.
Grant's performed there four times over the past two years. The girl can't get enough of the place.
"It's my favourite venue. I'm really comfortable here," she says. "I have a lot of relatives here, so I get the chance to catch up with them before I leave for the U.K., where I'll visit the family's ancestral home town in Scotland. They all want to go with me.
"I'm an East Coast girl by nature and the people here remind me of home, kind of unguarded and curious. Creativity feeds off itself, which is why the scene here is so good.
"It reminds me of Halifax. There's so much good music happening here, it's infectious. It's a really good environment."