I was without plans this Valentine’s evening until I stopped into my beloved local Barbes, which offered up a big heart-shaped box of music by a pair of lady expats who sounded nothing like their native countries. The early set was held by Marta Topferova: the beautiful Czech singer who performs Cuban son with deep-seated soul. Since I last saw her, she’s added some powerhouse musicians to her band, including Pablo Moya on guitar, Pedro Giraudo on bass, and Chinchilita on percussion.
The 10p set offered the music of British singer Jan Bell , performing twangy alt-country with Bob Hoffner on pedal steel, mandolin player Sam Parton of The Be Good Tanyas, and triple-threat Jolie Holland, who played violin, guitar and piano, and sang with a quavering, melt-away voice. Bell said she met Parton and Holland "on the road," ending up with Parton in New Orleans and eventually meeting up with both of them again in New York. Bell sang songs from her debut album, Songs for Love Drunk Sinners, which was produced by Parton and is up for the Independent Music Awards Alt-Country Album of the Year. Just a magical night all around, candles not included.