Seven Days: Vermont's Independent Voice

Brave New World

Listeners have described her as “funny, sexy and slightly alarming” and as “a might-go-off-any-moment gun.” Rolling Stone has called her “a gem ... with a fearless simplicity.” Suffice it to say that Issa, the artist formerly known as Jane Siberry, is not your average singer-songwriter. In 2006, the Canadian native dropped her established name along with her home and most possessions to follow a new path — simply because, she states, “It felt right.” Her current walk of life includes a trilogy of albums that tell what she calls a “Scheherazadian” tale of the human condition. The second installment, With What Shall I Keep Warm?, hits the airwaves this month. Keep an ear out for her newest inspirations, influenced by genres ranging from pop to New Wave to gospel.