RADAR: Sarah Jarosz

Anyone searching for glimpses into the future of modern Americana and acoustic music need look no further than 19-year-old Sarah Jarosz. A virtuoso multi-instrumentalist who played onstage with the likes of bluegrass legends Ricky Skaggs and David Grisman at age twelve, Jarosz eclipsed any stubborn genre boundaries with the release of her debut album Song Up In Her Head (2009, Sugarhill), a brilliant achievement that also introduced a talented singer and songwriter. She also joined up earlier this year with burgeoning Americana band Black Prairie (featuring three members of The Decemberists) for some touring and recording and headlined last month on PBS' Austin City Limits. "I feel like I'm open to newer things," she says simply, "no boundaries."

As Jarosz continues work on her next album, tentatively due in May, she recently shared two new songs on her succinctly titled The New 45: the self-penned "My Muse", a moody, gorgeous folk poem of crystalline beauty and an extraordinary cover of Bill Wither's "Grandma's Hands." Together they present two unique sides to an artists who's arc has only begun to ascend. "This young woman is proof that the future of music itself is certain to be full of virtuosity, passion, integrity, deep beauty, and soul." - Abigail Washburn "I could tell you what a tremendous musician, natural singer, and precocious writer she is, or I could simply tell you that I and everyone I know in this tight-knit community can't wait to play some more music with Sarah Jarosz." - Chris Thile (Nickel Creek, Punch Brothers)

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Sarah Jarosz - "My Muse" (from The New 45) (Watch the video after the jump.)

Sarah Jarosz - "Song Up In Her Head" (from Song Up In Her Head)