I think it's safe to say there aren't enough women brass players in the world. I can think of a few saxophonists off the top of my head, but no trombone or trumpet players. If anyone's got any theories on this then I'm all ears.
Needless to say it was a nice surprise then when I received a single the other week from the flugelhorn blowing, ivory tinkling, not to mention impressive vocalist Carrie Jennings. It's a cracker. A relatively new girl on the block, hailing from Seattle with some impressive touring tales and miles already, I'm marking her down as one to watch.
On "Half Of Me" she must have forgotten to pack her horn, but more than makes up for it providing the lyrics and (shared with with Megan Letts) vocal duties. To concentrate on directorial duties she invites her Mama Magnolia mates into the studio to take care of guitar, bass, sax, keys and drums. It sounds like they've known each other a while too, the synergy is real and the sound tight.
In a complimentary way, "Half of Me" has a bit of early Portishead about it, with its late night dirge and low tempo insistence that pulses through the speakers and makes it hard to multi-task whilst listening. The song muses about life's endless choices, the inertia that can cause, and that feeling of relief when you embark on a new path. Let's face it, life's not always easy and it's paths sometimes winding and not well signposted, and the guitar and sax stabs accentuate that uncertainty but at least the song is well lit by the vocals of this bluesy, soulful siren.
I think its fair to say the journey has just started for Jennings and she's still researching her musical DNA, but she's off to a strong start, the promise is real and I'd stay tuned if I were you.
Playlist Companion:
"Half of Me" has a pleasing hard to place genre ambiguity which caused me playlist suitability issues, and I've dropped it in the Slow Psyche Playlist for the sake of argument. Discuss, but don't get me involved :)
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