On the surface, Sem Jansen’s solo debut ‘Uncle Sem’ simply sounds like an americana album with excellent songwriting. And while it can certainly be enjoyed as such, part of what makes this album special is in the interaction between the female and male vocals, as they are recorded by the same person. The female vocals were recorded when Sem went through life as Britt. ‘Uncle Sem’ tells the story of his transition from female to male in a gripping, extremely personal manner. And fortunately, the story is backed by songs that show a sonic and compositional versatility that modern americana records often lack.

‘Uncle Sem’ is one of those open nerve albums, on which the songs are so personal that it’s difficult not to get emotional while listening to it. Two things keep the album from simply becoming too much, however. One is that the story is largely told chronologically, so there is a true redemption arc that ends on a relatively positive note. The other is that ‘Uncle Sem’ is not held hostage by its story musically. Jansen and his bandmates from the Leif de Leeuw Band explore all possible angles of the genre, from pure country songs to borderline southern rock and everything in between, with enthusiasm and great musicianship.

Since the story is told chronologically, ‘Uncle Sem’ starts with the songs he recorded when he was still female, but wanting to be male. Even in those songs, there is a glimmer of hope – as evidenced by the beautiful ‘Better Days Will Come’ – but those are generally the sadder songs on the record. Probably the most touching moments of the album are the duets between both of Jansen’s voices. In ‘I’ve Done My Thinking’, ‘Take Me Now’ and ‘Goodbye’, these voices alternate lines and eventually harmonize beautifully. During those songs, Sem is basically comforting Britt from the future. Unique and utterly powerful stuff.

Jansen was not sure whether he was still able to sing after the transition, but his warm, deep voice sounds incredible on the second half of the album. The moving piano-lead ballad ’21’ features a particularly heartfelt vocal performance. Another highlight is ‘Grandma’, which is one of the more positive-sounding tracks on the album, but the underlying idea of Jansen’s dementia-ridden grandmother being one of the few people to accept the new him is just heart-wrenching. Leif de Leeuw’s pedal steel work gives ‘Part Of Me’ and incredible finale. ‘With Raising Comes Hurting’ interestingly ends the album on a hopeful rather than an outright positive note.

With a story like the one on ‘Uncle Sem’, it is difficult to separate the music from the lyrics. And yet, the fact that the songs are memorable and well-written enough to be enjoyed on their own is part of why the album is as good as it is. Admittedly, it is so emotional that I cannot listen to it for hours on end – something which hasn’t happened to me since the very different, but equally personal ‘When A Shadow Is Forced Into The Light’ by Swallow The Sun – but the fact that music can do that just shows it should be taken seriously as both an art form and a therapeutic device.

Recommended tracks: ‘Grandma’, ’21’, ‘Freak’