By David KidmanThe brand name of this celebrated Canadian female trio has always been synonymous with stylish and tasty folk-roots music; it has, however, always seemed mildly fated, in that founder members Ruth Moody and Nicky Mehta have twice now had to embrace a lineup change (original third member Cara Luft having been replaced in 2004 by Annabelle Chvostek, who on her departure in 2007 was succeeded by Heather Masse). The Jennys’ albums have tended to prove in the first instance quite slow-burn but in the long term distinct stayers, and this new release, number four in the sequence if you count their EP debut, is no exception. It’s a long five years since their award-winning Firecracker album, but the Jennys’ fiercely democratic modus-operandi is retained in the equal-handedness with which the songwriting credits are meted out on their latest, with each of the ladies being allotted four titles. The thirteenth item (the disc’s title song) is a spine-tinglingly poised and glacially beautiful adaptation of the time-honoured Southern Baptist hymn, sung acappella of course, on which each individual strand is both pure and clear and clearly audible in relation to its place within the group texture with close observance of both kinds of dynamic. The brilliantly incisive recording so faithfully captures the individual and combined vocal nuances and relationships, and it goes without saying that this facet will always be considered the Jennys’ principal selling-point: fine singers with gorgeous voices who naturally blend and cohere and harmonise. And yet there’s so much more to this trio, for each of them is an extremely able and highly persuasive songwriter (and more than competent musician too as it happens, although they’ve also engaged a handful of other players for the album sessions including Paul Mathew, Colin Cripps, Kevin Breit, Bill Dillon and Ruth’s brother Richard). The Jennys’ writing shows them to be well versed in sub-genre and crossover stylings, from the light-textured ukulele-accompanied back-porch folk of Away But Never Gone to the understated delicacy of All The Stars, the 40s/50s gentle-swing ambience of Cherry Blossom Love to the gospel-soul mood of Storm Comin’ (both embracing Heather’s jazz-singer training). Less is invariably more, even in the songs that incorporate marginally fuller musical settings, for the degree of restraint both in terms of delivery and arrangement is a major factor in the communicative success of the Jennys’ music. Heather’s Across The Sea, which enchants the ear from its opening acappella clarion-call and gains warmth with guitar and then flugel-horn, is a case in point in that regard, and the tender Asleep At Last comes very close to that standout song. But the whole album contains plenty else that constitutes serious magic too.
The Wailin’ Jennys – BRIGHT MORNING STARS
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Three part harmony is the signature of the Wailin’ Jennys “It was a really healthy thing for the band, and I’m glad that Nicky put such an emphasis on it. We’re all workaholics, and she knew this.” Ruth continues, “As it happens often, these things kind of have energy of their own and we could’ve got caught up in the momentum and kept going. A lot of people frowned on this decision. Luckily and wonderfully when we got back on the road it was like we hadn’t left it. People were as excited as ever for us to come and play in their cities and venues.”The three individuals moved to their own beat during this time and were able to reconvene with a bigger scope for the next project. Nicky, the mezzo voice, recorded and was nominated for a Canadian Indie Music Award for her album Weathervane and became mother of twin boys who also tour with them. Ruth recorded her first full-length album The Garden, and it’s one of the most played songs on international folk radio. Heather Masse, a Jazz Voice graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music, is a regular guest on A Prairie Home Companion, a live radio show heard mostly on public radio stations across the United States. She also tours with her own band in support of her album Bird Song.Rather than going into a commercial studio with all the bells and whistles, the Jenny’s went to a cabin in Ontario to record. “We felt that doing it that way would keep costs down and give a more organic kind of feel to it. In this band I think we feel the most relaxed and at peace when we’re in nature. It brought out a lot of good stuff. Strangely we were so busy we barely went outside,” she laughs.
Each artist contributed four songs on Bright Morning Stars, in addition to the traditional acappella that they perform which is the title track. “We were excited about this album because all the songs really felt like a good fit for the band and I think we all stretched ourselves as writers on this record. I wrote a gospel tune that’s a little more bluesy. That was fun to step out of my usual kind of genre. When I wrote it I was adamant that Heather should sing it but she said no, you should do it so it made me try something new.” The song is called ‘Storm Comin’.“We all tried different things,” Ruth continues “Nicky wrote some great pop songs and she also wrote a beautiful lullaby on ukulele, which was her first song on ukulele, ‘Away But Never Gone’. Heather wrote some great songs too. She’s from more of a jazz background and she wrote ‘Cherry Blossom Love’. She also wrote a beautiful love song that has a sort of Celtic feel to it ‘Across the Sea’ and that was a new thing for her.” It’s clear that the Wailin’ Jennys learn and get inspired from one another and the album has many examples of this kind of energy they share.The Wailin’ Jennys are back on the road and once again working hard. Nicky and Ruth have taken on the business side of the Jenny’s in addition to writing and performing as well as managing solo careers.They are delighting audiences everywhere they play be it in North America or Europe. Ruth Moody says of their shows, “It’s acoustic folk and we like to tell stories. The three part harmony is a signature thing and can be very transportive. I think we take people on a journey.”The Wailin’ Jennys have taken a journey themselves and brought back a little star dust to sprinkle on everyone with their album Bright Morning Stars.