The Wailin' Jennys - CD Review

The biggest challenge faced by any roots/folk act is the transition from show to recording studio. Performers with tremendous live reputations often seem smothered on disc, unable to capture the simple essence of their music through lack of spark, stifling production, cumbersome arrangements or a myriad of other factors. Thankfully The Wailin' Jennys
40 Days
(Festival)

The biggest challenge faced by any roots/folk act is the transition from show to recording studio. Performers with tremendous live reputations often seem smothered on disc, unable to capture the simple essence of their music through lack of spark, stifling production, cumbersome arrangements or a myriad of other factors. Thankfully, and happily, this is not the case with the Jennys ǃ

40 Days sounds like a Juno winner

Wailin' Jennys debut disc sounds like a Juno winner Wailin' Jennys debut disc sounds like a Juno winner

Canadian roots and traditional musicians, take heed. There are now only four Juno nomination spots left open for next year's group album of the year.

And you'd better be on your toes if you hope to snatch the winning rug out from under the Wailin' Jennys debut disc, 40 Days.

You doubt my word? Catch the trio's sparkling harmonies and smart songwriting tonight at the Black Sheep Inn. Then we'll talk.

Cara Luft, Nick Mehta and Ruth Moody are the Jennys. They first teamed up two years ago at Winnipeg's Sled Dog Music for an impromptu show. It sold out, as did the second one, and the buzz started. The trio quickly landed a filled-to-capacity showcase at the North American Folk Alliance Conference in Florida. Folk festival gigs, an EP and a record contract followed.

This year they played the Folk Alliance again as well as South By Southwest in Austin.

Overnight success?

"No," says Moody."It' been pretty quick but we've had to work hard. We didn't know each other very well, so we had to grow together. We get along really well but we're very different from each other."

Luft and Mehta were both well on the way to carving out solo singer/songwriting careers while Moody, after four years as lead vocalist with the now-defunct Winnipeg-based Celtic band Scruj MacDuhk, was about to do the same, when they bumped into each other at the Winnipeg Folk Festival in 2001.

All long-standing members of that city's thriving folk music scene, they knew of each other's work and promised to get together at some point.

The rest you already know, except that it was John Sharples, the Sled Dog's owner, who hit ont the name Wailin' Jennys. Good choice. You want to say, "Waylon Jennings" and have to think before saying the name aloud. Makes it stick in your head. Like their music,actualy,which roots quickly and deeply.

One Voice,the new album's opening track, is typical of the Jenny's supple arrangements and eloquent three-part harmonies. Written by Moody, the group's soprano, One Voice celebrates musical diversity and unity, each member's voice distinct but complementary, while also offering a vision of world harmony.

"I wanted to write something that would help unify people," says Moody, who studied classical piano and singing before sidestepping into traditional folk and celtic music. "I imagined people singing along."

Quite different in structure and style are Cara Luft's contributions to the album's mostly original content. Songs such as Untitled reveal Luft's one-time rock aspirations (Luft's guitar work rewards close attention) blended with the traditional British folk music she heard her parents, professional folk singers, perform.

Luft, an alto, admits to challenges in surrendering a solo for a trio career. "You have to learn about sacrifice and sharing."

Nicky Mehta's mezzo rounds out the harmonies. She studied dance and theatre before settling on music, has sung in R&B and Jazz ensembles and says fans tell her the Jennys' harmonies are "an emotional experience that leaves them with chills running down their spines. We can't take credit for that, it's just the way the voices blend."

Mehta's songs such as Ten Mile Stilts,poised and thoughtful, deal with issues of alienation, self-deception, the search for permanence.

With all this on their side, are the Jennys bound for fame and wealth? Moody, speaking for the three, is cautious. "As a folk musician, success is just even being able to get out there and perform."

CD Review - Feature Album

Sometimes it is almost impossible to decide on which CD is going to be the feature album for the month. And sometimes you know, by the time you get to the second track of an album, that this is IT The Wailin' Jennys
40 Days
Jericho Beach Music

Sometimes it is almost impossible to decide on which CD is going to be the feature album for the month. And sometimes you know, by the time you get to the second track of an album, that this is IT.....

If, by the time you get to the seventh track of an album (in this case a cover of the Neil Young classic, 'Old Man') you are that impressed with an album that you have gone through the turmoil of trying to decide whether you a: just MUST join the band, b: wish you had enough money to strike a distribution deal with the band, or c: marry one of the band members, it is an almost foregone conclusion that (as a more practical option to the above) the album is going to sit rather prominently on your web site as feature album.

I suspect that we (meaning non-musicians, or ex-musicians) are all fans of artists that we most closely associate our own musical ambitions or desires with and although I quite fancy the idea of jamming for hours on end with Gov't Mule, having now been exposed to the collective talents and charms of Luft, Mehta and Moody (and perhaps because, with age, I have become a little more mellow), I quite like the idea of allying myself with the oft melancholic Celtic influenced folk that the Wailin' Jennys have to offer.

Whilst the Jennys are a cohesive entity, the individual members bring diverse talents and capabilities to the collective, undeniably apparent on this, their first full length album, resulting in a breath-taking collection of ambient dynamic tales, sparse but impassioned and finely wrought instrumentation, all of which equally match the now trademark 3 part harmonies. This confluence of individual talents, in what started out as an impromptu one-off project, has resulted in a collection of absolutely stunning folk material and secured the girls a place near the top of the enviable list of Canadian vocal groups currently making waves in the genre (Be Good Tanyas, Po Girl, to name 2).

Uniting classic and contemporary folk with pop, Celtic roots and straight up country, the girls have an alchemy which many groups aspire to, but never conjure. Luft's own contributions to '40 Days' (which include 'Untitled', 'Something To Hold Onto') are somewhat more boisterous and rock orientated than the melancholic trad folk influences reflected in the work of Mehta and Moody, a side of Luft's solo musical ambitions prevalent on her fairly recent 'Tempting The Storm' This combination of 3 diverse backgrounds and personalities is going to be the talk of the decade amongst the folk fraternity - a phenomenon in the making.

Jericho Beach Music is the label arm of the Canadian roots distributor, Festival - and with a flagship album such as this to add to their already impressive catalogue, no doubt we'll be hearing a lot more from both the label and The Wailin' Jennys. From the interest shown in the group at the recent SXSW Conference, this won't be too far into the future - and '40 Days' makes for an impressive resum_

Winnipeg trio laughing more than wailing

Women the toast of festival circuit Wailin' Jennys a new sensation
Women the toast of festival circuit

The first time it dawned on Nicky Mehta that she and her companions in the Winnipeg-based folk trio the Wailin' Jennys had bitten off more than they'd been expecting to chew was when she, Cara Luft and Ruth Moody won a showcase spot at the prestigious North American Folk Alliance conference in Jacksonville, Fla., two years ago.

Until then, the three young women had been steadily building careers as solo artists. Mehta, who had studied dance and drama before being bitten by the music bug, had just released a critically applauded album of original music. Moody, formerly with Celtic roots rockers Scruj MacDuhk, was establishing herself as a singer/songwriter of merit. Luft's first solo release had earned a Prairie Music Awards nomination the previous year. Performing together for the first time in a Winnipeg music store in January 2002 had been a bit of a lark, and even when the first show sold out and a second was booked, the singers had no idea they'd wind up becoming folk festival favourites - fast.

In February they were invited to play at the Folk Alliance, North America's largest annual live folk music market. "Our showcases were jammed, and the audiences were really enthusiastic," says Mehta on the eve of the trio's performance Saturday at the Rivoli to promote the release of their first solo CD, 40 Days.

"It had been a little over a month since we first sang together, and we were suddenly being offered festival spots across Canada and the U.S. It was bizarre. It was another couple of months before we understood just how full time the Wailin' Jennys would be."

In fact, the trio has been on the road so much the three artists have had little time to reord the transcendent harmony arrangements of their own tunes and favoured covers by other artists that constitute their ever-expanding concert set.

A six-track EP was quickly recorded last summer to meet the demands of festival audiences, but studio time over the past two years took second place to live performances.

"Besides, we needed the time to solidify our sound," Mehta continues. "It all happened so quickly, we didn't really understand what we were doing for a while."

Buoyed by the strong reaction to 40 Days, the Wailin' Jennys - the name was a humorous throwaway that stuck after their second performance - have hit the road again, and will be featured in just about every major folk festival across Canada this summer.

"Being in a group requires constant negotiation, an awareness of others' needs for self-expression," continues Mehta, who's planning to record another solo album - this time as a sid project - in her basement over the next months.

"I'm the least folky of the three of us. I'd like to explore other, totally different areas of music on my own."

Prairie Pride

The Wailin' Jennys get the folk out The Wailin' Jennys get the folk out

It's a sweaty mid-May Wednesday in Toronto when I call up Cara Luft at her Winnipeg home, but Luft, one-third of folk-pop trio the Wailin' Jennys, is bundled up in a wooly toque-and-sweater combo.

She's just returned from playing a show at the 'Peg legislature building in honour of Manitoba Day (don't worry-she didn't know the holiday existed either), and she's cursing the massive prairie snowstorm that's got authorities advising local folks to stay home.

The freak flurries are an appropriate backdrop, Luft laughs, since she credits weather extremes with maintaining the thriving Winnipeg music scene.

"Everything's so extreme here", she explains in her chirpy prairie cadence. "The winters are brutal, and the summers are pretty extreme as well."

"There's something about those extremes that encourages people to look beyond their surroundings. People say that Manitoba's friendly, and it's true-there's not much to do here, so we have more of a sense of community."

That strong sense of community, and the support system of arts funding exemplified by organizations like Manitoba Film and Sound and MARIA (the Manitoba Audio Recording Industry Association) have helped kick Luft's musical career into high gear.

The daughter of professional folk singers who daylighted as teachers, the Calgary-born Luft's been singing rootsy tunes on stage since she was in kindergarten. She played her first solo show at age 12 and was opening for local acts at folk clubs by 14.

But it was only after hanging out at a Winnipeg guitar shop called Sled Dog Music that she was blindsided in one of those wierd karmic moments that speckle pop music history.

Sled Dog's owner urged Luft to team up with two other local folkies - Celtic belter Ruth Moody of Scruj MacDuhk and backing-vocalist-turned-front-woman Nicky Mehta - for a one-night stand at his store in January 2002.

"We honestly din't think beyond that one night," offers Luft. "It was a weird process entering into a working relationship with strangers. We only knew we had a month to prepare."

"On top of learning and trying to memorize 20 new songs, you're trying to work with people you don't know anything about. You're spending energy just getting to know each other."

They clicked musically, winning invites to play sold-out showcases at folk fests and healthy airplay on the CBC, and set aside their solo schticks to become the Wailin' Jennys, but maintain musical autonomy by operating as a collective - each member receives individual writing credit and lead vocal duties for her own songs.

This sets them apart from that other Canuck roots-pop tri, the Be Good Tanya's, who've become post-O Brother music scene darlings. So do the Jennys' aesthetics. Their brand new 40 Days (Jericho Beach) disk showcases a far more contemporary folk-pop sound more in keeping with Joan Baez, the Indigo Girls and Lilith Fair-style campfire music than with the Tanyas' Americana new grass vibe. While the Jennys' songs may lack the same creaky backroads country soul, they benefit from the trio's strong vocals, which combine Luft's rich alto, Mehta's mezzo and Moody's angelic soprano into choirgirl three-part harmonies.

"There aren't a lot of harmony groups these days" proclaims Luft. "We're an anomaly, and people often tell us how great it is to hear women's voices in harmony."

The Jennys have become quite successful in a short time, considering that earnest folky tunes don't exactly have the insta-popular cool cachet of, say, disco-punk. Luft thinks it's related to their geographcal locale.

"The biggest folk festivals are on the prairies," she explains. "Calgary has the most folk clubs per capita of any city in North America - something like 10 or 12 that run year-round. I heard a rumour that it was because all the draft dodgers from Seattle and that area who came up to Calgary and started the folk boom there."

40 Days - The Wailin' Jennys

Unspeakably good. Literally stunning. I'm falling deep into the well of this record 40 DAYS (Jericho Beach) ǃ

CD Review

Good Lord! Can this really be the Wailin' Jennys? The Wailin' Jennys
40 Days
Jericho Beach Music
JBM 0403

Good Lord! Can this really be the Wailin' Jennys? The same Wailin' Jennys who made such a disparately ragged, ad-hoc, six-song debut a year or so back?

While that initial recording showed flashes of true promise, it also had a threadbare, disjointed quality about it as Cara Luft, Nicky Mehta and Ruth Moody struggled to find common ground. But time has galvanized them into an inspired creative unit and their gorgeous harmonies have grown even more intricate. The proof on Moody's divine, One Voice, and the evergreen traditional heartbreaker, The Parting Glass, is nothing short of spectacular. Those wonderfully emotional voices of theirs lie somewhere between The Roches and the Silly Sisters but grounded in an absolute belief in their own abilities.

Their attachment to the tradition includes the mischieous Saucy Sailor. Obviously, Luft's pungent Come All You Sailors draws its inspiration from the same well. There's also a clever cover of John Hiatt's Take It Down. But their attempt at Neil Young's Old Man never quite puts enough distance between the original. A minor set back though, more than aptly eradicated by Nicky Mehta's brilliant, Arlington, which unearths a truly impressive new writing talent.

Immaculately produced by David Travers-Smith (Harry Manx & Kevin Breit) 40 Days ought to place the Jennys on the same pedestal as the Be Good Tanyas. The first major Canadian folk-roots recording of the year has officially arrived.

The Wailin' Jennys - 40 Days

Sometimes, good things really do come in threes WHERE YOU’LL FIND THEM: Living in harmony. FILE UNDER: Women on the verge. LOWDOWN: Sometimes, good things really do come in threes. Case in point: Singers Cara Luft, Nicky Mehta and Ruth Moody, who make beautiful music together on 40 Days, the winning debut album from their folk-pop outfit The Wailin’ Jennys. Harmonizing with a soothing grace that belies their name, these grievous angels weave gorgeous vocal tapestries that elegantly decorate original cuts of sun-dappled rootspop, blues and Celtic folk. Plus they acquit themselves admirably on candlelit covers of Neil Young’s Old Man and John Hiatt’s Take it Down. Check them out tomorrow at the West End Cultural Centre, before they vanish on the summer folk-festival circuit. ON THE WEB: www.thewailinjennys.com
***1/2 out of *****