www.netrhythms.com - UKBy Mike DaviesIt’s been a long five years since the Canadian trio released Firecracker, since which time Anabelle Chvostek has left to be replaced by alto jazz singer Heather Masse, bringing the M quota up to three alongside founders soprano Ruth Moody and mezzo-soprano Nicky Mehta.In good democratic fashion, all three have contributed four songs though, if they have individual styles these have been streamlined to fit seamlessly within the group’s sweet folk harmony style and you’d be hard pressed to identify who was responsible for what. Even the lyrics share themes of romantic yearning littered with natural world imagery.Which is less a criticism and more a testament of how well they work together in the service of the common bond.The title track, sung unaccompanied, is a traditional American folk tune and that’s pretty much the seam they mine throughout, opening with Swing Low Sail High and working their mellifluous way through the likes of bluegrass ballad Bird Song, revisited from Masse’s solo album with a new fiddle solo, Mehta’s lovely ukulele-accompanied, life’s dusk and dawn themed Away But Never Gone, and the old back porch crooning quality of Mona Louise.They do tinker with things here and there, though. Across The Sea begins with Masse singing a capella before the others join in and acoustic guitar and warm flugel horn add their soft touches, What Has Been Done is bluesily atmospheric with electric slide and Storm Comin’ finds Moody in soulful gospel mode, the songs stripping back to a handclap rhythm midway while, nodding to Masse’s jazz training, Cherry Blossom Love is pure Andrews Sisters styled 40s retro.Closing with the mandolin and trumpet-backed country-folk swayer The Last Goodbye, they don’t push any genre boundaries, but they can most certainly be relied upon to shine within them.
Wailin' Jennys - Bright Morning Stars
Blurt - www.blurt-online.com - USBy Lee ZimmermanLike Dala and the Be Good Tanyas, the Wailin' Jennys have captured the hearts and affections of fans and folkies alike with their delicate three part harmonies and a host of inspired melodies. A combination of three impressive stand-alone resumes (those of members Ruth Moody, Nicky Mehta and Heather Masse), they've evolved as a female folk super group of sorts, one that thrives in the midst of their successful solo careers. This, the third studio album by this charming trio from Winnipeg Canada, soars on the strength of their glorious harmonies and arrangements that manage to be both delicate yet effusive all at the same time. Like their peers, the Jennys have a way of making original tunes - "Bird Song," "Across the Sea" and "Asleep at Last" being the most stunning examples - emulate an age-old pedigree, as if they were reframing traditional music and claiming it as their own.Granted, there's certain preciousness in their approach, which often blurs the distinction between individual entries. That's the hazard borne by these sparse set-ups, where the vocals are rendered practically a cappella and the accompaniment often seems incidental. Still, it's a small price to pay, and songs like the gospel-tinged "Storm Comin'," the Celtic-like hymns "Mona Louise" and "Bright Morning Stars," and the music hall melody of "Cherry Blossom Love" ably diversify the mix while maintaining the charm. Suffice it to say Bright Morning Stars is a lovely way to start any day... and an equally absorbing way to close it out as well.
The Wailin' Jennys - Bright Morning Stars
Folk Roots/Folk Branches - CanadaBy Mike RegenstreifBright Morning Stars is the Winnipeg-based Wailin’ Jennys third full-length studio album and each of those albums has featured a slightly different line-up.Their debut EP, The Wailin’ Jennys, and first full-length studio album, 40 Days, featured original members Nicky Mehta, Ruth Moody and Cara Luft.Firecracker, the second full-length studio album, featured Nicky, Ruth and Annabelle Chvostek; while on the 2009 live album, Live at the Mauch Chunk Opera House, and, now, Bright Morning Stars, Nicky and Ruth are joined by American singer-songwriter Heather Masse.As I noted in my review of Live at the Mauch Chunk Opera House, the Wailin’ Jennys have, with each personnel change, seemingly seamlessly adapted and evolved. There was something different, but consistently Jennyish, with each change. With the live album and several years of touring with Nicky and Ruth, Heather seems like a veteran member of the trio, hardly the new Jenny on the block.The Wailin’ Jennys take an egalitarian approach to the album. Each contributes four original songs on which she sings lead with the other two supplying their sublime harmonies and they also offer a stunning version of the traditional hymn-like “Bright Morning Stars,” sung in glorious three-part harmony.Highlights among Nicky’s songs include the opening track, “Swing Low Sail High,” at once both a confession to love’s shortcoming and a reaffirmation of love’s endurance, and “What Has Been Done,” a mysterious ballad, seemingly about a murder, or, perhaps, a suicide, that shows the influence of traditional Appalachian folksongs.Ruth’s highlights include “Storm Comin’,” a metaphorical piece about being prepared for what life and love have to offer, and “Asleep At Last,” a quiet, beautiful love song.Heather’s highlights include “Mona Louise,” partly a lullaby and partly a celebration of a new life, and “Cherry Blossom Love,” a haunting song that seems almost equally derived from both the folksong and jazz ballad traditions.As I noted in the introduction, these songs are – mostly – quiet and subtle and reveal more each time they’re heard.
Instant Replay...
Indie MusicologyIt wasn't that long ago that I was handed an album by Ruth Moody titled The Garden. I was so taken by the lyrical beauty and the clear, clean vocals that I became an instant fan. Much to my surprise, although it shouldn't have been, I found that Moody recorded that album while on hiatus from her regular group, The Wailin' Jennys, a group I knew of but had yet to hear. Well, the new Wailin' Jennys is finally here and I am happy to report that Bright Morning Stars is as good as expected. Moody is joined by bandmates Nicky Mehta and Heather Masse and the three have come up with another (though I have yet to hear another) gem. Time to listen in retrospect (read: go back to the earlier albums) and in the meantime, I leave you with this--- the official video of the making of the new album. I love this kind of stuff. Call it rockumentary or documentary or whatever you want, I seldom walk away from them without having gotten something good out of it.
Best of '11: The Wailin' Jennys Bright Morning Stars
Herohill.com - CanadaIt’s almost too easy to overlook The Wailin’ Jennys. Everyone wants to find the new buzz band in the hottest made up genre, and as a result, we let timeless melodies and stop-you-in-your-tracks vocal work slip through our fingers like handfuls of sand. With seemingly limitless talent, a musical appreciation that can make a music critic blush and a style as warm as a summer breeze, you just kind of assume the Jennys have been around forever, and always will be.That’s why it’s hard to believe it’s been almost 6 years since they’ve put out a record. Admittedly, even if they only played the occassional live show, the way the band charms audiences with their beautiful performances (for those not fortunate enough to see them yet, do yourself a frickin service and pick up their lovely live record today) the chance to hear them sing would be noteworthy. The Jennys bring crowded rooms to a hush with hearfelt a capellas and challenge the devil himself with moving gospel songs and if they never set foot in the studio again, they’ve long since earned a spot in the rich tradition of Canadian roots/bluegrass music.But then you hear the transition The Wailin’ Jennys make on Bright Morning Stars; a fuller, more layered sound and a new lineup (the first WJ studio experience for New Yawk based upright bassist/song writer Heather Masse). Backed by a collection of some of the finest session musicians in Canada, The Jennys experiment with jazzier arrangements, country soul and surprisingly poppy singalongs. Somehow, the band feels completely new even though the instruments, talent and approach remains the same. The highlights are countless; perfect vocal interplay, the tasteful horns that dot the open soundscape on “Across the Sea”, the delightful gospel gem Ruth’s “Storm Comin’”, and the grit of “What Has Been Done” come to mind, but really each and every song on the record holds up nicely and showcases each woman’s various strengths.I could go on and on but the songs speak for themselves. My advice; buy this record absorb every note and as you are engrossed in the vocal work the women display on the a capella title track (the only traditional number on the record), it will become evident that The Jennys are amongst our country’s brightest shining stars. We just need to start acknowledging it.
The Wailin' Jennys: Bright Morning Stars
The Music Critic - U.K.Bright Morning Stars is the 4th major release from the popular Canadian 3 piece female group The Wailin' Jennys. As with their previous releases it is the vocal interaction of Ruth Moody, Nicky Mehta and Heather Masse that is the star of the show. There is something comforting, warm and welcoming about what they do and they do it so, so well. All three girls have mesmerising voices and they write songs that allow those voices to take the lead with sympathetic arrangements playing the supporting role.The pop overtones of album opener Swing Low Sail High will guarantee them heavy radio rotation for what is as near perfect a song for summer as you will find. The girls sound oh so comfortable when they have a quality ballad to work with and All The Stars provides them with exactly that with the rhythmic Ukulele playing of Justin Haynes blending perfectly with the strings of Richard Moody and Paul Mathew for a truly beguiling song. The acapella arrangement of the traditional Appalachian hymn Bright Morning Star is just stunning and a real hairs on the back of the neck moment. Previously recorded by Ruth Crawford Seeger, The Stanley Brothers and Sweet Arcade, the girls have added a version to the list that may become the benchmark. It is however Across The Sea that pips Bright Morning Star as the stand out track on this mighty fine album. This is a beautifully arranged song with the surprise inclusion of a flugel horn lending a haunted aspect to its atmosphere.This is their most accomplished album to date with production to match and should surely secure the band as an act of international proportions, especially when they are capable of writing songs of the quality of Asleep At Last and You Are Here. My only complaint, and it is a small one, is that musically they have evolved very little since 2004's 40 Days. I suppose if it ain't broken....4/5 Stars
Bright Morning Stars - The Wailin' Jennys
AllMusicBy James Christopher MongerSince their 2001 inception in a Winnipeg guitar shop, the Wailin’ Jennys have been quietly and consistently crafting some of North America’s best modern roots music. Nicky Mehta, Ruth Moody, and Heather Masse, the latter of whom took over for Annabelle Chvostek in 2007, sing like siblings and play like seasoned veterans, resulting in a seamless, understated sound that feels both perennial and distinctly Canadian. Lonesome and surprisingly comforting, the group’s fourth studio album, Bright Morning Stars, offers up 13 meditations on love, life, and loss that fit right in with the trio’s penchant for melding traditional folk songs and sea shanteys with contemporary themes. It’s a quiet but powerful collection of snowbound balladry that may be too subtle and unassuming for 21st century attention spans, which is a large part of its charm. Comparisons to Alison Krauss and Gillian Welch are apt, but the Jennys' ability to harmonize like the family acts of old sets them apart from many of their contemporaries. Part Watersons and part Fleetwood Mac, songs like the pop-driven “Swing Low Sail High,” the jazzy “Mona Louise,” the timeless sounding “Bird Song,” and the sparse, largely a cappella title cut, feel grounded and effortless, despite their competing genres.
The Wailin' Jennys - Bright Morning Stars
Winnipeg Free PressBy Bruce LeperreIt was 2006 when local Juno winners the Wailin' Jennys last blessed us with a studio release. Since then, Heather Masse replaced Annabelle Chvostek and, with founding members Nicky Mehta and Ruth Moody, released a critically acclaimed live disc while Moody and Masse both made their solo debuts.Leaving behind the livelier bluegrass influence of previous recordings, producers Mark Howard (Lucinda Williams, Bob Dylan, Neil Young) and David Travers-Smith (Oh Susanna) join musicians Colin Cripps (Blue Rodeo, Kathleen Edwards), Kevin Breit (Norah Jones), Jeremy Penner (Scruj MacDuhk), Christian Dugas (the Duhks) and Richard Moody (the Bills) in entwining guitar, Dobro, banjo, fiddle, viola, ukulele and accordion with the celestial voices of Mehta, Moody and Masse. The trio's impeccable three-part harmonies drape over gentle, often sparse, yet striking, folk backdrops that include pre-'60s country (Cherry Blossom Love), rapturous pop (Swing Low, Sail Higher) and soulful gospel (Storm Comin').Bright Morning Star is a tasteful and beautifully crafted affair of unadulterated sonic bliss. 'Ö'Ö'Ö'Ö