Forget The Dixie Chicks! The folk and country trio, The Wailin' Jennys, are back again transforming the instruments and the harmonies of folk and country into something wonderfully different. Forget The Dixie Chicks! The folk and country trio, The Wailin' Jennys, are back again transforming the instruments and the harmonies of folk and country into something wonderfully different. Famous for their appearances on Prairie Home Companion, The Jennys (Annabelle Chvostek, Nicky Mehta, and Ruth Moody) have released their second CD entitled Firecracker. The thirteen tracks (twelve of them written by the band's members) feature the group's signature harmonies and their fondness for that old-time sound. It is a beautiful CD to listen to, rich with captivating melodies, terrific acoustic instrumentation, and soulful songwriting!
Hey all, welcome to the new website!
The new thewailinjennys.com features a brand new look and easier navigation as well as some great new features. Now you can search the Tour page for a show in your area and print a list out. You can also listen to clips from the entire Firecracker album, view some of the latest tour videos, and check out brand new Jennys tshirts . There are also some new reviews and articles up for your reading pleasure.
Thanks to everyone involved in the project, especially database/coding guru and webmaster extraordinaire Neil Mehta, master designer Ron Sawchuk, and implementation/web design wizard Chris Werstiuk!
Firecracker - The Wailin' Jennys
Beautiful vocal harmonies also highlight the second album from this Canadian trio Beautiful vocal harmonies also highlight the second album from this Canadian trio, which should appeal to fans of singers such as Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt. Another largely acoustic collection of mostly original songs, Firecracker ranges from country-rock rave-ups to gentle ballads, all featuring soothing three-part harmonies.
Firecracker - The Wailin' Jennys
Taking folk music in an entirely different direction are The Wailin' Jennys, three highly talented young singer-songwriters from Canada. Taking folk music in an entirely different direction are The Wailin' Jennys, three highly talented young singer-songwriters from Canada. While OCMS can be prickly and raucous, these women are polished and subtle, melodic, and often lush - but just as original. Like the trio Nickel Creek, The Wailin' Jennys take the instruments and the harmonies of folk and country and transform them into something entirely different. But here there's a tight backup band and three voices - strong and sweet as Alison Krauss's - that work melodic magic. Each of the songs is written by one of the Jennys. The one exception - a beautiful a cappella interpretation of the traditional song "Long Time Traveller" - reminds you of where they're coming from.
Grade: A
Firecracker - The Wailin' Jennys
The Wailin’ Jennys are singer-songwriters Ruth Moody, Nicky Mehta and Annabelle Chvostek and this is their second album on Red House Records. The Wailin’ Jennys are singer-songwriters Ruth Moody, Nicky Mehta and Annabelle Chvostek and this is their second album on Red House Records. Their harmonies sound as close as sisters and their sound is more blend than contrast. The three woman contribute equally to the songwriting and each are able to write to the vocal strengths of the trio. They positively sparkle on the more melodic and traditional sounding tunes. My favorite songs are the ones in which Moody plays banjo, the jangley plunk is a funky contrast to the silky vocals. The first track, “The Devil’s Paintbrush Road,” is by far my favoriteǃ
Firecracker - The Wailin' Jennys
It took me a long time to warm to this album. It wasn't that there was anything wrong; on the contrary, these three Canadian women are all wonderful singers It took me a long time to warm to this album. It wasn't that there was anything wrong; on the contrary, these three Canadian women are all wonderful singers - each is an accomplished if hardly original writer, and they all play a variety of instruments. But sometimes albums just elude you before suddenly falling into place. I think it was Nicky Mehta's heart-shaped “Begin” that began to melt my affections, closely followed by Annabelle Chvostek's “Swallow” and Ruth Moody's “Glory Bound.” All 13 tracks have plus or minus traces of folk and country influences, but it is the sound of the three women harmonising throughout that is Firecracker's outstanding and abiding quality. 4 stars.
The Wailin' Jennys Light a Musical Fuse
Firecracker indeed. This Canadian duo’s [sic] second album couldn’t have come out at a better time... Firecracker indeed. This Canadian duo’s [sic] second album couldn’t have come out at a better time for me. After months of hearing artists trying to be rootsy without understanding what it takes (and even worse, artists with the pedigree who have lost their way), here is a group that finds the right mix of understanding and reverence, but who knowǃ
Firecracker - The Wailin' Jennys
Etched with a sepia hue that reflects The Wailin’ Jennys’ rustic back porch view, Firecracker sounds like it might have had its origins in Appalachia. Etched with a sepia hue that reflects The Wailin’ Jennys’ rustic back porch view, Firecracker sounds like it might have had its origins in Appalachia. In truth, only one of these tracks (“Long Time Traveler”) is a trad tune, but the set as a whole conjures up romantic notions of mountain meadows, the scent of patchouli and a kettle on the fire. The second album by this trio of ladies from Winnipeg, Canada soars on the strength of their glorious three-part harmonies and arrangements that manage to be both delicate yet effusive at the same time. Like the Be Good Tanyas, another distinctive singer/songwriter collective with similar sensibilities, the Jennys have a way of making original songs - in this case “Begin,” “Starlight,” “Avila,” “Some Good Thing” - resemble what appears to be an age-old pedigree, as if they were reframing traditional music and claiming it as their own. Hardly the explosive wake-up call its title implies, Firecracker is, instead, a blissful respite from an all-too tumultuous world.