Album Recommendation: Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love? by Kara Jackson

Chicago singer-songwriter Kara Jackson makes her mark with an intimate debut album that takes folk music as its base and alters it accordingly, uncovering both trauma and joy on equal terms.

Kara Jackson's debut album, Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love? is described as a brutally honest exploration of agony and adoration. Jackson, a former National Youth Poet Laureate from Chicago, is celebrated for her painful vulnerability and ability to bend folk music to her will. The album dives into the concept that love and suffering often coincide, pushing this existential question into a harsh, disorienting musical landscape that argues love is synonymous with loss​​.

Jackson's storytelling is applauded for its earnest lyricism, arresting imagery, and effective use of her wide vocal range to convey emotion. As a guitarist, her instrument is not an appendage to her words but rather the skin that holds her music together, cradling her lyrics and maintaining the reflective undertones of her songs. The album features lusher arrangements and producers like KAINA, NNAMDÏ, and Sen Morimoto, allowing her melodies to shift and meander​​.

An outstanding track, "dickhead blues," is noted for its layered choir and lackadaisical guitar. In the title song, Jackson mourns a friend, Maya, who died from cancer, lamenting the beautiful friendship she was gifted only to have it taken away. Death is a constant specter in Jackson's work, as she grieves for the loss of life and the relationships that ended prematurely or hurt her spirit​​.

The album repeatedly confronts the cost of love, questioning if it's a price worth paying. Jackson voices her frustration with transactional relationships and her desire to devote herself to someone without sacrificing parts of herself. Despite the album's exploration of love and loss, Jackson affirms her self-worth and clarifies that she will not lose herself, no matter the cost of love​​.