Nicky and Heather joined hosts Mother Banjo and Anthony Ihrig to share a few stories about the recording of 2011’s Bright Morning Stars album.
The Wailin' Jennys - Bright Morning Stars
VintageGuitar.comBy Steven StoneThe concept of "folk supergroup" sounds strange, sort of like "the folksinger's Porsche." But no musical amalgamation deserves this moniker more than The Wailin' Jennys. With three world-class lead vocalists who are equally accomplished songwriters, The Wailin' Jennys deliver polished folk music that still has soul.Bright Morning Stars highlights Ruth Moody, Nicky Mehta, and Heather Masse's strong songwriting chops as well as their impeccable pipes. Each contributed four original songs, and Mehta's anthemic "Swing Low Sail High" leads off, setting a high standard with a delicate ascending melody that soars above the textured backing vocals. Moody's "All The Stars" has a more intimate feel and a melody that lends itself to harmonic embellishments, which the Jennys add with impeccably good taste. Masse's "Bird Song" was the title track from her latest solo album. For the Jennys' version, she changed the key, added more acoustic instruments, additional parts, and doubled lead vocals. In the Jennys' arrangement, she also appended a "round" to the end of the song.Returning to their Canadian roots, the band used mostly Canadian session players including multi-instrumentalist Colin Cripps, Ruth Moody's brother, Richard (viola), and Jeremy Penner (fiddle).If you love the sound of three beautiful folk voices blending in perfect harmony, music that is sweet without being cloying, and voluptuous acoustic arrangements, Bright Morning Stars will start your day right.
Separated at Birth?
Songlines - UKBy Doug DeLoachThey're not sisters, but The Wailin' Jennys sound like they must have grown up singing under the same roof together. For the past decade or so, Nicky Mehta, Ruth Moody, and Heather Masse (who replaced Annabelle Chvostek in 2007) have carved out a niche as purveyors of a certain style of North American alt-roots music that evokes a contemplative solitude and breezy attitude. It might be described as 'Canadiana.'The 13 songs on Bright Morning Stars (only one of which, the title-track, is not an original composition) are engaging from a melodic standpoint thanks to a relative absence of clichés and easy resolutions. While winsome ballads about lovelorn lasses and sea shanties sung to wave-kissed sailors aren't exactly mining unexplored veins, the sincerity in the Jennys' three-part harmonies, the capable instrumentalism and refined intelligence illuminate the beauty that a good poet might resolve from the everyday landscape of life. Ethereal, delicate, dreamy and haunting are the words that spring to mind. That said, jazzy numbers like 'Cherry Blossom Love' evoke a very different type of contemplative mood: the kind you'd experience in a smoky lounge with a whiskey in one hand and a cigarette in the other.Bright Morning Stars has been painstakingly engineered by Mark Howard and David Travers-Smith to rend every last angel's whisper out of the trio. Younger fans of Alison Krauss and Rosie Stevens will get it, while their elders will reminisce about Jean Ritchie, the Armstrong Family (sisters Jenny and Rebecca) and other female heralds of yore.
The Wailin' Jennys - Bright Morning Stars
fRootsHighly talented trio back with a top producer who has smoothed and polished their music to positive effect. All but the title track are originals superbly performed and crafted.
The Wailin' Jennys: Bright Morning Stars
www.pennyblackmusic.co.uk - UKBy Malcolm CarterWalking in to my local record store, which is sadly no longer there of course, during the closing chilly months of 2006 I was mesmerized by the sweet sounds coming from the shop’s sound system. On asking I was told that the album playing was the latest from a Canadian trio named the Wailin’ Jennys. I walked out of the shop that day clutching my copy of what turned out to be the trio’s second full-length album, ‘Firecracker’, and for the next few days their harmonies filled every room in the house. The music the all-female trio made was acoustic folk-roots rich on melodies and with harmonies that were simply breathtaking.Since ‘Firecracker’ the band released a live album, ‘Live At Mauch Chunk Opera House’, and Annabelle Chvostek left, her replacement being Heather Masse. While Heather has more of a jazz and blues background than Ruth Moody and Nicky Mehta, the two founding members of the Wailin’ Jennys, it’s really business as usual when comparing the trio’s albums.So while The Wailin’ Jennys have not broken any new ground with this latest collection of twelve original songs and their arrangement of one traditional (the title song), ‘Bright Morning Stars’ is another immaculately played, produced and most importantly sung album in the band's catalogue. There is little to choose between the three members who all contribute songs. You wouldn’t want to guess who wrote each of the songs; even though they write separately they’re all on the same page when composing it seems. But this just makes for a more cohesive album and by having three strong songwriters in one band it’s unlikely that the quality will ever drop on any Wailin’ Jennys album.The Wailin’ Jennys are not alone in writing songs that sound like they could have been written at any point in the last 60 or 70 years. These songs really do, however, have a timeless quality to them which will obviously still make them favourites in the years to come and with the acclaim that Alison Krauss is finally receiving is hardly going to help further the career of this talented trio.One of the Ruth Moody songs on this album, namely ‘Asleep At Last’, is a perfect example of just what makes these girls so special and is probably all that is needed to convert someone who has never heard the band before. With just added acoustic and National guitars from Kevin Brett joining Ruth’s acoustic guitar what could be a sparse -sounding track is filled out with such breathtaking harmonies they almost make you forget just how superb Ruth’s lead vocals are on this song. If any Alison Krauss fan heard this song, they’d surely rush out and buy ‘Bright Morning Star’.Highlighting Ruth’s performance on that song is a little unfair as all three singers have an equal talent. Heather Masse turns in what is arguably her best vocal on the album on ‘Cherry Blossom Love’ where the band’s contribution of electric guitar and percussion add further texture to the sound we’ve come to expect from The Wailin’ Jennys.Just now though the lead vocals of Nicky Mehta, which open and close the album with ‘Swing Low Sail High’ and ‘Last Goodbye’, which are two of the strongest songs on a collection that has no weak points, are still stopping heartbeats. That Nicky has an exceptional voice is stating the obvious to anyone who has heard her sing but when Heather and Ruth join in the results are simply stunning.The Wailin’ Jennys do anything but wail…they sing like angels and have the original songs to showcase those voices perfectly. ‘Bright Morning Star’ is an album that will be played and played.
The Wailin' Jennys
No DepressionBy Kim RuehlI love the Wailin' Jennys, and this record - from the first few notes - plays to all the things that make this trio so lovable. Beautiful, intuitive but rich harmonies, simple instrumentation, shockingly personal lyrics... indeed, the record begins with the lyrics, "I have failed you...but I love you." Ouch. I think.
This isn't going to be a mind-changing album for anyone. It doesn't reach in under-explored directions. There's nothing about these songs, at least at first listen, which could be called "artistically surprising" (something I admittedly tend to seek out). But, the songs are just pretty. The vocals are just beautiful, and the instrumentation is just hypnotizing at times (pedal steel on "All the Stars"). Sixth song test..."Mona Louise" is a beautiful love song. "I'm gonna sing, til my feet turn blue / I'll sing loud enough to go through / the mountains to you..." In fact, this record is so lovely, it might put you right to sleep. Row out to the middle of a lake and put these songs in your earbuds. There's that much solace here.
The Wailin' Jennys - Bright Morning Stars
www.beat-surrender.com - UKBy SimonBright Morning Stars is the fourth album to come from this incredibly talented trio, the Wailin’ Jennys were formed after a chance meeting for a one-off in store performance at a guitar shop in Winnipeg, Manitoba, back 2004 they released their first full-length album 40 Days which won them a Juno Award for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year, the follow up Firecracker was equally well received spending over a year on the Billboard bluegrass charts, with the departure of Annabelle Chvostek New York based Heather Masse joined the group to record Bright Morning Stars under the close eye of producer Mark Howard (credits include Bob Dylan and Lucinda Williams) who has done a wonderful job in capturing the vocals subtleties of the trio and allowing the voices to shine individually and of course in perfect harmony.The album features four original songs from each member Ruth Moody (vocals, guitar, accordion, banjo) Nicky Mehta (vocals, guitar,ukulele) and Heather Masse (vocals, upright bass) and a stellar a capella version of the traditional Appalachian hymn and title track Bright Morning Stars, you know your ears are in for a treat from the start with the beautiful harmonies on Swing Low Aim High the opening number and the quality doesn’t drop of one iota as the songs of love, loss and yearning are delivered in a variety of styles, the trio adopt gospel mode for Storm Comin’ , a more traditional folk on Across the Sea and a little jazz for Cherry Blossom Love, as good as the voices and production are you’ve got to have the songs too and the trio are all equally gifted on that front penning some memorable numbers, Nicky’s four edge out Ruth and Heather’s for me and I’ve picked my favourite to share.
The Wailin' Jennys - Bright Morning Stars
www.soundblab.com - UKWhat is clear to most of us now is that folk is once again popular, surging to the surface to bask in the glow of musical acclaim. Anybody can have a go, whether you're British, American or otherwise. A steady stream of artists have once again made folk cool. The Wailin' Jennys join this stream with their latest effort.What you need is something unique, something to set you apart from the growing trend, to hold you aloft of your brethren. Mumford & Sons have an outstretched ache, while The Low Anthem specialise in gospel tinged, downtrodden songs. The Wailin' Jennys are more of a breeze in sound and slightly more puritanical lyrically. You can imagine them brushing their hands through the heads of wheat as they harmonise vocals, wandering in fields. 'Swing Low Sail High' is a pop opener perfectly crafted for the radio: "Setting sun don't sink before I found my heart". Don't be fooled though, these women can do the foreboding sound as well, proven by 'Storm Comin' and 'What Has Been Done'. The country which is spread through the record is squarely set in America, out on the porch and in the small towns, like country songs of old.For some, these songs might be too clean cut, lacking in any kind of grit or dirt to get your teeth into. What is for sure is that these are well-crafted songs, most of all in the melody but also in their hushed musical sound. Whether they can penetrate the mainstream with what is a basic and well-trodden formula is where the uncertainty lies.