|
|
|
|
|
'A Few Small Things'
"Jennifer has taken elements of English folk music – not only the instruments, but the singing style, the general outlook – and arranged them in a modern, minimal, spacious way that might even be termed Anglicana. It works beautifully.
Her lyric writing is done with real craft and care, and her melodies are tunes you can remember. There are even a couple of songs that sound, in the best sense, like pop hits.
Though there are legions of North Americans mining this neo-traditional territory loosely termed Americana, there surprisingly aren’t many English singer-songwriters following a parallel course. Most seem to be either hung up on imitating American songcraft or sticking to a purist version of English folk.
A Few Small Things is unique, a breath of fresh air, and hopefully the way forward."
Charley Dunlap May 2008
‘A Few Small Things’ is Jennifer’s debut release as a singer-songwriter.
With her chamber folk background and alt. country influences, Jennifer has crafted a captivating album with a rich acoustic atmosphere. Her beautifully evocative songs are enhanced by her rather unconventional ensemble: Robert
Harbron on english concertina, Bethany Porter on cello and Maclaine
Colston on hammered dulcimer backed up by double bass and percussion, with cameo appearances from Clive
Gregson and Miranda Sykes.
The word 'Debut' hardly seems appropriate for such an experienced performer
and recording artist. Jennifer first came to prominence as a finalist in the
BBC Radio 2 Young Tradition Award in 1993, appeared on national television and
radio, and went on to work in a variety of acclaimed acts.
Her collaborations have ranged from the virtuosic hammered dulcimer and harp
duo Cythara (who performed the soundtrack for the award winning BBC series ‘The
Private Life of Plants’) to the festival mayhem of world-dance fusion band Elephant
Talk, taking time to form the lively pop-folk outfit Madigan, and a top class
duo with multi-instrumentalist Henry Sears along the way.
However, most of Jennifer’s work to date has served to showcase her as one of Britain's finest celtic harpists.
In this brave new departure, ‘A Few Small Things’ is Jennifer’s first completely solo project, the first to not feature the harp, and the first to contain entirely original material.
“ A vocalist of sublime power… gently luring the listener
into a web of disarming surrender…”
John O’Regan, Folk Roots |
It was while touring with Madigan that Jennifer began to introduce her own songs into their largely traditional set, and quickly won praise from the folk press. Read more...
Her songwriting further developed as a member of "The Rainkings", in her own
'Champagne For Breakfast' Band and later in her duo with Miranda Sykes (Show
of Hands). Encouraged by the audience response to her songs
she decided to make songwriting her main focus, bought a lovely old Gibson guitar
and began playing solo gigs and supporting artists such as Boo
Hewerdine and Kris
Delmhorst before going into the studio to record "A Few Small Things".
It needed little persuasion for some of the best English roots musicians to join
the project... Read more...
Unlike most debuts, while making ‘A Few Small Things’, Jennifer did not set out to showcase her instrumental skills or the diversity of her songwriting, but simply to make a cohesive and beautiful sounding album.
"I wanted it to be quite understated. My aim was to stay true to the essence of the songs and keep the arrangements simple, spacious and organic. There are no epic stories or grand statements here - just snapshots of a moment in time when a feeling turned itself into a song"
Jennifer Crook, April 2008
|
