“I guess a Cruel Joke is all we can afford” punctuates the first track of Ken Pomeroy’s 2025 release. It is but one example of a songwriter fluent in plain language breeding profound observation. Born a citizen of the Cherokee nation, she has emerged from Oklahoma with a smoky-soft voice that sounds like a soul trying to find its way in the fog. It is music for people who find “the midwest” to be more a feeling, less a destination.

Quiet. Intimate. Ken exhales wisdom that echoes someone who’s seen the end of the line but kept moving. Her songs can glance like a feather, but bruise like an iron fist. Sparse as sagebrush blowing across the plains, the music is a simmering stew of americana and indie-folk. The creative twists, like major-minor chord substitutions and sneaky instrumental flourishes, are inventive and captivating. Savour her arrival.

- Jay Nelson