Pure power pop with sensible lyrics and a standout sound. On the b-side is “Falling” – opening on a slinky guitar hook – balanced by Jennifer Karson’s alluring vocals – and slippery pop sense; the song ends in a guitar seizure – my favorite on the EP.
Green Mountain Music Review, 1999
Review of 3-song EP Zola Turn
It’s moody and murky. It’s languid and silky. It’s Zola Turn dammit! This Burlington, Vermont quartet delivers eerie melodies supported by smart arrangements time and time again on this CD.
Jenn Karson does an exemplary job with the singing here, and though the band’s bio is satisfied with comparing themselves to the likes of early Jefferson Airplane and PJ Harvey, her voice demands a much more original moniker. ‘Tired Words’ for instance, pedals along like a sunny Saturday morning bike ride. The lyrics blow past your ears as you coast over the ridge of the chorus, only to land in a grassy meadow of harmonies that will make you want to sit back and smile for a little while. Zola Turn…really have hit on something here. Each song is an ornament on this 12 song CD; there are no duffers. And although the dynamics and feel changes are about as extreme as a whisper to a scream, there is most definitely a cohesive thread that binds all of this material together.
Northeast Performer, February 1998
Review of Cousin Battie
The all girl outfit Zola Turn shine with “Angels” – a spooky bluesy number with stunning vocal work from Jennifer Karson.
Northeast Performer, 1996
Review of 3-song EP Side Saddle
Zola Turn initially went by the band name Sub Rosa.