Her songwriting talent and willingness to experiment was already evident on 2017's Play 'til You Win, but the perfect balance of exploration and poignancy on Overview make it a significant step forward for her.

Full Review

5mo

Best of 2021

Worst of 2021

Recent Reviews

Under The Radar

For all of its brainy machinations, what An Overview on Phenomenal Nature never forgets to do is make a human connection

5mo

Filled with people, stories, and dialogue, the New York songwriter’s second album flows like an emotional breakthrough, tying together disparate observations into a serene and unified vision.

5mo

Woodsist associate exercises admirable, compassionate restraint.

6mo

Lasting only an economic 33 minutes; on this form, she could pull off a double album.

Print Only

5mo

It's a near-complete reimagining of the New York songwriter's sound; an iridescent folk-jazz odyssey dizzyingly rich with detail and craft. At only seven tracks, it feels as vast and accomplished as a record twice its length.

5mo

This is solipsism of the highest caliber: gentle, hypnotic, fastidious, but above all else, hard to resist.

4mo

The Ramble ... sums up the themes of Phenomenal Nature with ease; it’s an album about our fractured self conception and the ways we try to put it all back together.

Full Review

5mo

User Reviews

View All

YuriDING

2021 was a pretty mediocre year so far, but everything changed when I saw this release. "An Overview on Phenomenal Nature" is the second release by singer Cassandra Jenkins, and is a spectacular album.
The sensation I had while listening to this record was as if it had opened my head, poured honey on my brain and massaged. It is so delicate, melodic, consistent, that it is as if it takes you to another level, where there is no concern and you just need to delight in the wonderful ... read more

5mo

Orlkont

This was an absolute experience. This album asked for my hand and took me for a ride throughout this sunset-driven seaside city and I'm just gonna be in the backseat lying down.

5mo

musicmagpie55

Built from soundscapes, conversations, and a loose saxophone, Cassandra Jenkins creates music that explores everyday feelings with acute clarity. With grand moments of lush instrumentation and quiet melodies that float in the air, Jenkins manages to create songs both intimate and expansive. The ultimate strength of the record is the way Jenkins can construct entire worlds through small interactions. The music feels mundane in a productive and energizing way; everything is an opportunity for ... read more

5mo

✧*☆: * ☆ marvelgaryen

Tranquility is a very wild state of mind on the contrary of popular belief. The poetry is a catalyst from all that unexplored dimension, as a net being built by a spider the chaos can be meticulous and incisive, so be aware of your surroundings, you might get caught by the void the sucks everyone and everything.

5mo

BonoLightier

The most striking element about this record is how intimate she sounds: not in the sense that Cassandra is sharing with us her most personal and darkest secrets, but the fact that she's willing to tell us about the little things in her life – the three-legged dog, the security guard with a Queens' accent, or even the swift sound of children running and playing on the closing track. She's an observer, not a storyteller.

5mo

More user reviews

Purchasing An Overview On Phenomenal Nature from Amazon helps support Album of the Year. Or consider a donation?