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It only takes two minutes talking to Jennifer Castle to feel completely mellow. The light, pure tone of her singing voice matches the soft, relaxed tone of her conversation, and clues you into her laid back, organic approach to music. Evident in her newest album, Castlemusic, Castle’s take on songwriting and performing is both honest and slightly mystical at the same time, and that’s exactly the sense one gets when interviewing her. Her answers are vague at times, but not due to any desire for secrecy. She sounds very much like she knows the feeling she wants to convey, but that it’s very important to her that she conveys exactly what she feels, because it needs to be the truth.

“Sometimes [writing a song] can be a bit of a puzzle, [but] I don’t try to push a song out,” says Castle. “The ones that were hard to write, I didn’t put on the record. I don’t really like the sound of labour.”

Castle recently signed with Calgary label Flemish Eye, which she says has been a good fit for her. She likes Alberta and the new music and artists in the area, but she maintains that she’s remained true to the core of who and what she and her music are, even amidst the new environment.

She also talks about the change from performing with other bands to performing solo, reluctant to pick a favourite. This sentiment seems prevalent within her music and outlook on life; it’s fine to observe, and reflect, but there’s no need to judge anything. Things are simply the way they are, and while certainly worth writing about, quantifying or ranking them somehow devalues the whole experience.

“[Performing solo, or in a group] is totally different. In one you have to ask everybody ‘How did it go for you?’ I always know how it went for me at the end of my show, but that collective experience is different. I enjoy them both at different times. They’re both challenging in their own ways.”

So, when asked which song off the new album was her favourite, of course she doesn’t have a quick, definite answer. After taking some time to collect her thoughts, she answers that “Neverride” isn’t her favourite, but that everyone involved with the record could tell it was something special, something to set the standard for the rest of the album.

“When we recorded ‘Neverride,’ which I think we did early on in our sessions, [it] felt like a little bit of a pearl to us all. ‘Neverride’ was like a little jewel that we had, to us it sounded special, so we aimed for that specialness throughout [the album].”

Other songs like “Way of the Crow” and “Powers” deliver the same easy listening experience, coupled with pervading messages of freedom and truth. However, the one notable outlier on Castlemusic is “Poor As Him,” which has a more upbeat, percussive feel.

“It definitely has a more rockabilly flavour to it. I mean, I didn’t name it that, but enough people have said that to me that I’m like, ‘Yeah, I guess it sounds kind of rockabilly.’ When it came time to record it, we were like, ‘Let’s just do it like that.’ I’ve played it fast and I’ve played it slow and I still play fast or slow, it just depends on where I’m at when I play it.”

Another unique aspect to Castle’s approach is her desire to keep her performances very under-rehearsed and spontaneous.

“It always just depends. That’s one of the indulgences of being a solo performer, is you can just play what you want. When I play my solo stuff with other people, I do like to change things right before we play just so that we’re all put into a position of having to listen to each other. I like that spontaneity.”

Overall, Castlemusic is perfect to kick back and relax to, but you won’t be disappointed if you take the time to actively listen to the lyrics and try to find a deeper meaning. Though Castle denies attempting to convey a distinct message with the album, that might just be its brilliance.

“To each their own,” Castle says. “Whatever happens happens when somebody listens to it.”

Jennifer Castle plays La Sala Rossa tonight, October 25th, with Chad VanGaalen. Tickets are $15 at the door.