The Wailin' Jennys - Bright Morning Stars
Some artists have the ability to simply transcend their genre, creating music with enormous appeal that knows no set boundaries or limitations. For us, no one exemplifies this better than the acclaimed roots/folk trio The Wailin' Jennys -- Nicki Mehta, Ruth Moody and Heather Masse. With their first new studio recordings in four years, Bright Morning Stars, due February 8 via Red House, the mostly Canadian trio (newest member Masse is from New England) have created an exquisite album of dazzling beauty. Gorgeous, three-part harmonies don't get much better than they do here and with three accomplished writers at work, the quality of the songs is uniformly superb.
Produced and engineered by Mark Howard (Bob Dylan, Lucinda Williams, U2), the new project follows up the Jennys' fine Live at the Mauch Chunk Opera House album from 2009. The trio went on hiatus for most of the past couple years as Mehta gave birth to twins, Masse released her solo album Bird Song in November, 2009, and Moody delivered her own project The Garden in April of this year. "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. Bright Morning Stars exudes that rejuvenated spirit and confidence, Howard's subtle production touches adding a new depth to the trio's sound without losing the focus on the Jenny's pitch-perfect entwined vocal harmonies.
The Wailin' Jennys - "Swing Low Sail High" (from the album Bright Morning Stars)
The Wailin' Jennys - "All the Stars" (from the album Bright Morning Stars)
Direct Current
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