The Times Union - NY, USABy Michael EckTROY – Three voices are better than one.Especially when those voices belong to Ruth Moody, Nicky Mehta and Heather Masse, collectively known as The Wailin’ Jennys. The Jennys made their Troy Savings Bank Music Hall debut Saturday, wowing a crowd of over 600 with their wit, songcraft and dazzling harmonies.The group began nearly a decade ago, as a gathering of solo singer/songwriters at a friend’s guitar shop. The energy was instant and Moody and Mehta have been singing together ever since. Masse joined in 2007, after two other members had circulated in and out of the trio’s membership; they all sang as sure as sisters on Saturday.The group is touring behind a new album, “Bright Morning Stars,” and they offered plenty of selections from the disc, including the a cappella title track.Sound problems plagued the early part of the evening, briefly scuttling opener Rose Cousins’ set and slowing the Jennys momentum. Mehta, whose husband Grant Johnson is also the band’s soundman, took things in stride, riffing improvised lyrics about the situation until it was figured out.Once everything was sorted magic happened.The Jennys’ music is sometimes too polite for its own good, but they found an edge at the Hall. “Away But Never Gone,” from “Bright Morning Stars,” for example, set off Mehta’s poignant lyric with the chirp of a ukulele, proving that the little four string is good for more than novelty songs. Masse’s “Cherry Blossom Love” brought her deep jazz vocal education right into Jennys’ territory. And Moody’s “You Are Here” won best in show, pairing her brother Richard’s mandolin with her steady guitar and Mehta and Masse’s sweet backing.Moody and Mehta did dip deeper into the band’s catalog as well. The former got the audience singing along powerfully on “the non-denominational gospel song” “Glory Bound, and the latter offered her own “Arlington” as well as a frankly too peppy take of Emmylou Harris and David Olney’s “Deeper Well.” The male Moody did get a little avant garde on his violin for “Well,” the one time the evening went truly outside, in the jazzman’s sense.Moody and Mehta jumped around from one instrument to another throughout the evening, while Masse stayed parked behind her standup bass.But the audience loved it best when all instruments were laid aside. Lead Belly’s “Bring Me Lil’ Water, Silvy” didn’t sound like a field holler, but it did sound delicious. Moody’s “Storm Comin’,” with rubbing hands for percussion and sharp vocal counterpoint, went gospel again. And the closing round of “The Parting Glass” was sung sans microphones, making use of the hall’s famous acoustics.Cousins’ brief opening set was charming, with her goofy humor offset by the beauty of her songs and her voice.
New Jersey Herald - Wailin' Jennys Have Special Vocal Blend
By ROBERT PRICEbprice@njherald.comNEWTON -- It's not much of a stretch to describe the music of the Wailin' Jennys as Canadian Americana. But their innovative sounds, melodic harmonies and contemporary songwriting put a modern spin on traditional folk and roots music.Their brand new album, "Bright Morning Stars," is a vocal and instrumental tapestry of their special blend of "roots-pop." The Wailin' Jennys just started stage two of a tour in support of their new CD and one of their first stops is Sussex County Community College for two shows Thursday.All three band members -- Ruth Moody, Nicky Mehta and Heather Masse -- contribute to the 12 original songs, singing and playing a variety of instruments.The group was born by accident in 2002 when Moody, Mehta and Cara Luft played together at a guitar shop in their hometown of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and unexpectedly created a magical sound. Luft has since left, but that magical sound remains, thanks to the addition of New Yorker Masse."First of all, I think we're really fortunate to have the vocal blend we do. Without that, nothing else matters and we've been so lucky to find a great blend together," Mehta said."On top of that, I think a shared love of singing, similar music tastes but different influences, respect for each other's songwriting, there are many aspects that contribute. I think we all love to perform and we all share a similar desire to connect to people through our songs and through the live performance of those songs. We are all different people, but we share similar visions of what we seek to do with our music. And that equals good chemistry, I think," she said.The Feb. 8 release of "Bright Morning Stars" represents the group's first album with Masse. The songs speak of this world and the one beyond. Often the message involves searching for what has been lost, on several levels."This is our first studio album with Heather Masse and she brings some wonderful elements to the table," Mehta said. "Her songs have great energy and they mix so well with Ruth's and my tunes so I think it's a really well-balanced and full album. This album, like the others is mostly about the vocals and the interplay between our voices and the songs. We all contribute four originals and there is a lot of variety in the writing. Also, like our other albums, it also is full of beautiful instrumentation thanks to our amazing players...."Those players are some of Canada's finest session musicians, including Bill Dillon (Joni Mitchell, Peter Gabriel), Kevin Breit (Norah Jones), Colin Cripps (Kathleen Edwards), Richard Moody (The Bills) and frequent Jennys sideman Jeremy Penner on fiddle. The album was recorded in a cottage near Haliburton, Ontario, and released on Red House Records.Overall, it's the group's fourth album. The first, "40 Days," released in 2004, won a Juno (Canadian Grammy) Award for Roots and Traditional Album of the Year. Around the same time the Jennys started making regular appearances on Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion public radio show.Their second album, "Firecracker," was nominated for a Juno, won a Folk Alliance Award and charted over 56 weeks on the Billboard charts.In 2009, The Wailin' Jennys released "Live at the Mauch Chunk Opera House," recorded at the venerable, historic and acoustically perfect theater in Jim Thorpe, Pa. This album spent over a year on the Billboard bluegrass charts, capturing their witty stage banter and expert musicianship in addition to their vocal harmonies."Our fans had been asking for a live album for a long time and we love the opera house in Jim Thorpe. It's a gorgeous sounding room and at the time we were scheduled to play there in 2008, it was just perfect timing to take a stab at recording a live album. We didn't know what we'd end up with and weren't sure we would get what we wanted for a live album so we just went in with the attitude that we would be fine with whatever happened. There wasn't a whole lot of pressure, which was good. But the stars aligned and we were really happy with it. It was a lot of fun, the audience was great and the sound was excellent. That's all you need," Mehta said.Soprano Ruth Moody (vocals, guitar, accordion, banjo, bodhrán) is a classically trained vocalist and pianist known as an accomplished, versatile singer of traditional and Celtic music and as the former lead singer of Juno-nominated roots band Scruj MacDuhk. She recently released her first full-length solo album, "The Garden," whose title track was the No. 4 most played song of 2010 on international folk radio.Mezzo Nicky Mehta (vocals, guitar, harmonica, drums, ukulele), a trained dancer raised on classical music, '70s a.m. radio and influenced by alternative pop, was nominated for a Canadian Indie Music Award for her solo album "Weather Vane."Alto Heather Masse (vocals, upright bass), a Maine native, is a jazz voice graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music, who has performed in Mark O'Connor's Hot Swing and Darol Anger's Republic of Strings.For more information about The Wailin' Jennys, visit www.thewailinjennys.com.
Love, Canadian Style: The Wailin' Jennys Are Bright Morning (Afternoon and Evening) Stars
Huffington Post and NoDepression.comBy Michael BialasTalk about a sweetheart deal hours before Valentine's Day. Three angelic voices in one heavenly group called The Wailin' Jennys were making one of their first appearances in Colorado. If Cupid had only a single arrow, he wouldn't know where to aim.The Jennys -- Ruth Moody, Nicky Mehta and Heather Masse -- were in the middle of a five-date swing through the state on the first leg of a tour that began February 3 in Helena, Montana. This Jennys' Journey is in support of their third full-length studio release, the exquisite Bright Morning Stars (Red House Records, out since February 8 and already No. 1 on Billboard's bluegrass chart. (For a limited time, you can get a free download of "Swing Low Sail High" at Red House Records.)So for an early V-Day celebration, there was no better place to be on February 13 than Loveland, Colorado. Known as "America's Sweetheart City," it is famous for providing special valentine postmarks on love letters and cards requested by lovebirds from around the world.The intimate and historic 450-seat Rialto Theater in downtown Loveland was the perfect setting to hear the gifted Jennys, whose three voices blend so beautifully that you'll wonder, "Is this heaven?" Maybe not, but the soothing sounds from this triple threat are likely on the playlist at St. Peter's pearly gates.Though kid-friendly (tots, tweens and teens were spotted), the show that began without an opening act shortly after 7:30 was made for loving couples -- or those that could use a little spark."Well, hello there," cooed Moody after the group opened with Masse's "Bird Song," one of seven tunes they played from Bright Morning Stars' 13-song collection about love and loss. "We have the feeling that you're kind of romantic around these parts. That's the sense we got walking around. We also thought it was kind of funny that we're in Loveland on anti-Valentine's Day."The irony might have been lost on the Loveland, who prefer to express affection 365 days a year. One of the town's yearly money-raising projects involves decorating streetlight poles with big red hearts that include messages of love to each other's sweetie.This passion play had other, less visible signs of deep devotion. The crowd was lovingly respectful of the Jennys' delicate balancing act. They remained so you-can-hear-a-pin-drop quiet that the trio's deep breaths were clearly audible during a cappella versions of numbers including the traditional "Bright Morning Stars," "Kissing Double," Bruce Cockburn's "Going Down The Road" and "The Parting Glass," an old traditional Irish song that closed the show.Moody's soulful "Storm Comin,' " one of the new album's finest cuts, also was performed a cappella, but included foot stomps and hand claps, though the audience seemed reticent to join in.In fact, they were just fine sitting and listening, mostly in awe. Just before a 20-minute intermission and a rendition of "Glory Bound," from 2006's Firecracker and 2009's highly recommended Live at the Mauch Chunk Opera House, Moody sought a little crowd participation, requiring them to sing one word. In a crystal-clear soprano, she sweetly warbled "Hallelujah.""Can you try that with us?" Moody (right) asked. Many in the full house shook their heads in amazement, chuckling at the thought of trying to match her pitch-perfect display."Laughter is never a good sign," Moody said, resigned to the fact that the impromptu singalong might be doomed, no matter how earnest an attempt the amateurs might make. Ultimately, the three were on their own. With glorious pipes like these, isn't that the way it should be?Moody, the Winnipeg, Manitoba soprano who co-founded the group with fellow Canadian Mehta about nine years ago, is the most likely to succeed as a solo artist. (The Garden, her Juno-nominated album, was an under-the-radar release that deserved mention as one of 2010's best.) While sharing lead vocal duties, the classically trained vocalist and pianist displays instrumental versatility by playing banjo, guitar, accordion and bodhran (a one-sided Irish drum that looks a huge tambourine), and showed off those skills in four of the first five numbers.Moody's multitasking even included playing the tambourine with her foot on "Last Goodbye," Mehta's upbeat shout-out to "those of you who do believe in Valentine's Day. And believe in love lasting."The uninitiated might mistakenly identify "three-part harmonies" with the Lennon Sisters or the folkie spoof A Mighty Wind. The Wailin' Jennys surpass those labels on all levels. An equal-opportunity, three-dimensional assemblage, their melodies rate with that higher-profile power Trio of Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt. The songwriting responsibilities are equitably distributed on Bright Morning Stars (each contribute four), and all unselfishly take turns in the concert spotlight.Obviously, a group whose name is a takeoff of country legend Waylon Jennings and have performed on Garrison Keillor's public radio show A Prairie Home Companion know how to show their sense of humor. They reveal that comedic flair during masterful storytelling intros to their songs."Fetching, each in their own unique way," was how one elderly admirer in the fourth row described them during intermission to his better half, one of the few apparently in an unromantic mood (or taking this anti-Valentine's Day thing to heart)."Fetching? Fetching how?" she said in a way best described as kvetching. "What do they fetch?"Well, they certainly know how to carry a tune.Nicky Mehta, who played guitar, ukulele, harmonica and a snare drum during the show, is an acerbic wit. Displaying a prominent tattoo on her right arm, this Salt-of-the-Earth Mother brings her twin 18-month-old boys along for the tour bus ride. When they were younger, Mehta said she put her sons in their Johnny Jump Ups to gauge how good her songs were.Introducing the Emmylou Harris/David Olney-penned "Deeper Well," Mehta said, "This next song is a winner to them. Inspired much height in the bouncing ... sometimes impact." The driving number including a fiery turn on the viola by Moody's brother, Richard. Dubbed the "Mad Jenny" by his kid sister, he also plays fiddle and mandolin as the tour replacement for previous sideman Jeremy Penner. Both are among a formidable group of skilled musicians (Colin Cripps, Kevin Breit, Bill Dillon) on the album that was co-produced by Mark Howard and David Travers-Smith, a frequent Jennys collaborator.The twins undoubtedly like Mehta's "Begin," too. The mezzo mommy's message stood out in this inspirational cut from Firecracker that's "an ode to being in the moment."Heather Masse, a New Yorker who joined the group in 2007, is the alto with the deep, blue voice. Nearly as statuesque as the upright bass she plays, the graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music grew up under the influence of jazz singers such as Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Billie Holiday. "They sang so many great songs, so many heartbreaking love songs," she offered."The woman (who's often the subject of these songs) just ... she just ... she just ... (laughing at her own hesitancy) she's just speechless because she's so heartbroken; it was the perfect thing for middle school. So I thought it was about time that I wrote my own little heartbreaking love song."Masse's swinging but ultimately sorrowful "Cherry Blossom Love" is a testament to that sentiment, when "time would turn their sunny day like magic into dusk."While other numbers like "Beautiful Dawn," from 2004's Juno Award-winning 40 Days, are about new beginnings and "perfect for anti-Valentine's Day," according to Moody, these bright, shining stars really know how to get to the heart of the matter.So when the tour heads east, resuming March 17 in Pennsylvania, plan to make a hot date with The Wailin' Jennys and prepare for the love affair to begin. Without the hugs and kisses.
Live Review: The Wailin' Jennys @ the L2 Arts and Culture Center
ReverbBy Colleen SmithThe Wailin’ Jennys lend new meaning to the phrase “harmonic convergence.” The women (two Canadians and an American) braided their vocals to create perfect chords at the L2 Arts and Culture Center on Friday.I first heard the Jennys on Garrison Keillor’s radio program, “A Prairie Home Companion,” typically broadcasting throwback bands and folkie musicians. Keillor has invited the Jennys back to PHC more than once. He once commented on air that if he ever were to get married again, he’d hire the Jennys to sing at his wedding.The Wailin’ Jennys do sweeten their music with a traditional element of tender romance, but a melancholy bittersweetness prevents any sticky saccharine. At Friday’s sold-out Swallow Hill show, the Jennys heartfelt love songs provided a perfect prelude to Valentine’s Day.The mixed-generation crowd seemed well aware of the Wailin’ Jennys’ music, despite the fact that the sold-out concert was the band’s first ever show in Denver. An attentive audience fell silent during songs, allowing for every nuance of their delicate acoustic tunes.The three songbirds turned in tightly knit harmonies reminiscent of “Trio” — the combination of Emmylou Harris, Linda Rondstadt and Dolly Parton. A rapturous set-list blended one part Appalachia, one part heavenly host, one part Pointer Sisters, one part Indigo Girls.The band did a few covers. “Bring Me Li’l Water Silvy” allowed me to forget for several minutes the fact that we live in the digital age of robots and phones smarter than I.Each of the Jennys writes songs, so they’ve developed a broad catalog of original material. Selections from their brand new release “Bright Morning Stars,” including the title track, “You Are Here” and “Bird Song,” convinced me to buy the fresh CD.Ruth Moody invited audience participation on “Glory Bound,” her “non-denominational Gospel song.” The sing-along succeeded because the Swallow Hill crowd can carry a tune. Moody’s song “One Voice” is, for my money, one of the most hauntingly beautiful and hopeful songs ever recorded. I bought the live CD for these songs.The Jennys also are accomplished instrumentalists. Moody alternates between acoustic guitar, banjo, accordian and bodhran (that funky, handheld Irish drum), and on one number multi-tasked by playing a tambourine with her foot. Heather Masse plucks an upright bass. Nicky Mahta plays acoustic guitar, percussion and ukelele.The Jennys’ act is something of an extended family. Moody’s brother accompanies on fiddle. Mahta’s husband serves as the sound man.To their credit, Swallow Hill anticipated the popularity of the Wailin’ Jennys, booking them at L2, an elegantly cool concert venue. Swallow Hill concerts lean heavily toward amiable, laid-back ambiance; so during the Jennys’ encore, when the three songbirds split their guts laughing on three attempts at an a capella song, nobody minded. The audience laughed along.Aside from an impromptu crack-up, don’t expect any sensationalism or outrageousness: The Jennys don’t need it. They trade not on shenanigans or shock value, but talent.
Pregnant Pause Only Piqued Fans' Interest
When the Wailin' Jennys are upset with their manager, they will have no one to blame but themselves. Band members Nicky Mehta and Ruth Moody have taken the folk group's matters into their own hands and are self-managing the band, which is back in a big way after a year-long hiatus.
"Ruth and I, we've always been the type of people that are very involved with the running of the band. We've always been at the helm anyway, so why not do it ourselves?" Mehta says with a laugh over coffee at a Corydon Avenue restaurant. "Nobody cares about what happens to our band more than us, and we're both workaholics -- no one would sacrifice their mental health for us the way we do."
Being their own boss is only one of several changes for the Jennys over the past few years.
The first was in 2007 when Annabelle Chvostek left the group to pursue a solo career, opening the door for New York's Heather Masse to become the third Jenny.
As the new lineup was settling into a groove and recorded the Live at The Mauch Chunk Opera House album, Mehta discovered she was pregnant, and in July 2009 the 38 year-old and her partner Grant Johnson, a local musician who acts as the group's soundman, had twin boys, Beck and Finn.
The pregnancy led to a break for most of 2009, giving Moody time to record a solo album, The Garden (being released Dec. 9 at the West End Cultural Centre), and work with Mehta behind the scenes, setting themselves up as their own administrators, essentially launching Wailin' Jennys Version 3.0.
"We were touring so hard before the hiatus and we were just really tired. I think sometimes you need to step away from something to realize what we have," Mehta says. "The other thing we both found interesting is people really wanted us not to do that for our career: 'You won't be able to work again. People will lose interest if you step away for too long,' and that hasn't been true."
"If anything, people are more excited that we're back again" Moody adds.
The sold-out shows across North America included participating in two different episodes of Garrison Keillor's long-running public radio show, A Prairie Home Companion, and appearing at Massey Hall in Toronto with artists such as Ron Sexsmith, Sylvia Tyson and the Barenaked Ladies as part of a tribute night to Bruce Cockburn.
Getting to that point didn't come overnight. The group formed in Winnipeg in 2002 with Cara Luft and has circumnavigated the globe, making fans from Dublin, Ireland, to Sydney, Australia. They have released two studio albums, the live album and have a new studio set, tentatively titled Bright Morning Stars, recorded and ready for release early next year.
Winnipeggers will get to hear about half of the new album when the Jennys play their first local show in three years (with the exception of the Winnipeg Folk Festival) at the Burton Cummings Theatre Sunday.
The album was recorded at a cottage in Haliburton, Ont. last November with producer/engineer Mark Howard, who has worked on releases by the likes of Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris and Lucinda Williams.
A new song that isn't on the album but that's become something of a live staple doesn't have an official name, but is known as The Pants Song.
The track was written by Johnson for Beck and Finn -- who travel with the group -- and was "Jennified," by the trio with three-part harmonies. They performed it for fun a few times and the tune took on a life of its own, with fans requesting the song at concerts.
"We sang it at one show and we started laughing during one of our a cappella songs, which sometimes happens, and we couldn't get it together, then someone yelled out, "Sing the pants song again," and everyone started yelling, 'Pants! Pants! Pants! Pants!' so we had to sing it again," Mehta says.
Wailin' Jennys Voices Fill Sauder Concert Hall
When The Wailin’ Jennys walked onto the stage of Sauder Concert Hall for the performing arts series concert Tuesday night When The Wailin’ Jennys walked onto the stage of Sauder Concert Hall for the performing arts series concert Tuesday night, and the air of hushed anticipation in the packed room finally lifted, it was only the first magical moment of a concert that took the audience deep into heart-woven harmonies and what one attendee called “really personal music” that demonstrated both the Jennys’ versatility and seamless vocal blending.
The Jennys -soprano Ruth Moody, mezzo Nicky Mehta, and the newest Jenny, alto Heather Masse - claim Winnipeg as their base, and have only recently been back on tour after a one and a half year break in which Mehta brought forth two twin boys, Masse got married, and Moody and Masse both produced albums of their own. Now, touting their latest album, “Live at the Mauch Chunk Opera House,” the Jennys continue to create music filled with “the sound of voices three, singing together in harmony.”
After the first two songs, “Bird Song” and “Beautiful Dawn,” which showcased Moody’s banjo picking and Nicky Mehta’s swinging harmonica, Mehta called for interpretive dance from the audience in the choral terrace, saying “We’ve always wanted more of a show.” But the Jennys put on a beautiful show of their own in the songs that followed, bringing in styles ranging from Celtic Airs to Gospel and Jazz.
“Arlington” opened with a pure blend of Mehta’s crystal-clear guitar and Moody’s ponderous lead soprano in a back to basics duet, and rose in intensity with the addition of accordion and a fiddle interlude that seemed to pull at the edges of the melody.
“Sweet Mona Louise,” was an original composition by Heather Masse, who said she sang her newborn niece “into the world.” Featuring Masse’s tonally diverse alto, the lullaby was punctuated by a mandolin solo that painted a musical portrait of the fragility and beauty of a baby’s movements.
During the intermission, Goshen students expressed how the music had moved them so far. “I almost cried,” said Henry Stewart, a freshman. “It shows you what you can give in the pursuit of beauty.”
“I listened to their songs all day before this,” said Renae Weaver, who was ushering for the event.
Patrick Ressler, a senior and self-proclaimed “big fan” of the Wailin’ Jennys only made it for the second half of the show. All the same, “I couldn’t stay away,” he said.
The second half of the show opened with a more upbeat version of the gospel song “Motherless Child,” an echo to last week’s PAS concert by the vocal ensemble Conspirare, which also performed the piece. Masse shone brightly in “Cherry Blossom,” an Andrews sisters Jazz number that demonstrated Masse’s vocal range and her rich background in the genre.
The Jenny’s performed their trademark piece “One Voice,” joined in the peace song by the audience with the words “this is the sound of all of us.” After a standing ovation, the three finished by with “The Parting Glass,” an Irish traditional air which they sang together on the front edge of the stage, stripping the sound down to the three voices which make up the core of their music, and filling every corner of the hall with “Goodnight, and joy be with you all."
The concert provided a reinvigorating experience in the midst of a busy week. “I feel like after that concert I just got a half hour back massage and twelve hours of good sleep,” said Kate Friesen, a freshman. No doubt the Wailin’ Jennys have left their music in the hearts of all who have received the gift of their sound.
Tulips and Traffic
The Wailin' Jennys Return to Magic Skagit for Two Sold-Out Concerts The Wailin' Jennys Return to Magic Skagit for Two Sold-Out Concerts. The first time the Wailin’ Jennys appeared at the Lincoln Theatre (Mount Vernon, WA) in 2008, it snowed. While you might not find that strange, the trio came to Mount Vernon in April and in the midst of the annual tulip festival which draws thousands of tourists from around the world. Two years later, the Jennys arrived again during the height of tulip season, though this time, traffic jams that practically paralyzed the small city of Mount Vernon provided an obstacle for the concert goers and the musicians (the matinee and evening concerts sold out). The musicians showed up late for the sound check, after enduring tulip traffic, as it has become to known by locals.
After what seemed like an endless delay, the theatre filled up to its capacity and the musicians strode out onto the stage opening with their classic, “Beautiful Dawn” (Ruth Moody on guitar/lead vocals, Nicky Mehta on drums/harmonica/vocals, Heather Masse on bass/vocals and Jeremy Penner on fiddle). Mehta’s “Arlington” another classic and Emmy Lou Harris’ rousing “Deeper Well” also appeared in the opening set of songs.
The Jennys provided hungry ears with a combination of older material, favorite covers and new songs yet-to-be-released. The musicians provided lush musical environments even with their barebones instrumental setup or when the women launched into their signature 3-part a cappella harmonies as with Gershwin’s “Summer Time” or with the Irish classic, “The Parting Glass” which ended the afternoon concert. Of course every time the vocalists launched into an unaccompanied piece, a baby or two in the audience would chip in its own vocal harmonies.
The newest member of the group, Masse who took the lead on “Summer Time,” Ledbetter’s “Bring Me L’il Water Silvy,” the traditional “Motherless Child” and her own compositions, carried the weight of the band. Many fans of NPR’s “The Prairie Home Companion” have been graced with Masse’s regular appearances. And her debut solo album, “Bird Song” (Red House Records) sold out copies in just months after its release.
Oozing charisma in a silky blue frock with black cowboy boots and sporting a tan which she acquired on a recent Prairie Home Companion Caribbean cruise, Masse grabbed the spotlight without trying. She set loose her vocals holding nothing back. Her vocal range that slides from low and smoky to jazzy soprano would be the envy of any vocalist, but hopefully her talents just inspire other vocalists. And the smile that radiated from her face for most of the performance certainly captivated audience members. Now, there’s a woman living her passion.
The other two singers, Mehta and Moody held their own, though Mehta must have felt exhausted playing the dual role of new mother and Jenny. The mezzo-soprano (also sings alto) performed my favorite Jennys songs, “Arlington” and “Begin” with vocals that have grown gutsier and more powerful over the years. Her humor about her nine month old twins (who were backstage with their nanny), certainly created an intimate environment between members of the audience and the performers. She presented at least two new songs and the one with the title “Away, but Not Gone” which she performed on a ukulele nearly knocked me out with its magical and beautiful melody. You could hear audience members holding their breath and soaking in the song’s otherworldliness. The song felt angelically-inspired. I’m not talking new age, but the real deal.
Moody appeared well-rested after the band’s sabbatical. She brought new songs and played the old chestnuts with renewed vigor, as if songs from the band’s first two albums were written yesterday. Wearing an orange tulip-like dress with ruby slippers, she easily switched from percussion to guitar, banjo, and accordion. She brimmed over with mirth often doling out jokes about her band mates. She commented on Penner striking a “GQ” pose which lead to hilarity or about Mehta’s multitasking efficiency which also invited a few chuckles from the audience. She also led a cappella songs in which she excels, but the gospel number about a storm (from the yet to be released album), sent shivers up my spine. In addition she dusted off and presented her signature tunes, “One Voice” and “Glory Bound” to an enthusiastic audience.
Meanwhile fiddler Penner dressed in black hung out in the shadows of the stage squeezing in a few virtuosic moments. His solo on “Deeper Well” ignited applause (which is d_
Wailin' Jennys Headed to the Calvin Theatre
Ruth Moody loves being one of The Wallin’ Jennys. Ruth Moody loves being one of The Wallin’ Jennys. But the soprano from Winnipeg, Manitoba is glad they spent most of the past year apart. “I think it was really important for all of us to go away for a little bit and do our own thing,” Moody said during a recent telephone interview.
During their year apart, Moody recorded a solo album released on Tuesday. Fellow band member Heather Masse also recorded a solo album, while band mate Nicky Mehta gave birth to twins.
Now, back on the road and touring together, Moody enjoys playing with the group even more ǃ