This posting was originally written August 5, 2011.
"GRATEFUL"
Composed and Performed by Jen Hannah
As with so many millions of television viewers, there was once a time when I became more than a little fascinated with the ratings juggernaut known as “American Idol.”
While the songs performed on that program as well as the young people who sang them largely consisted of music that I would not ever purchase, I was indeed and enormously entertained. Moreso, I was fascinated with the process of this program that put these young singers through all manner of grueling vocal trials in order to produce a “major new talent.” Try to conceptualize the amount of second guessing that has to take place on a program like that one as the producers are attempting to categorize some previously unknown singer into some artist that supposedly absolutely anyone could enjoy…and of course, buy their albums. I watched and watched, seeing these singers try to emulate what I believe they and the producers felt to be the current sound and sensibility necessary to carry them to the season finale triumph and gold records forevermore. Because of that, and despite some signers I felt to be truly talented, I found, to my ears, a tremendous lack of soul, warmth and honesty in so many of the performances. There was so much caterwauling, so many high notes, so much over-singing that it was like watching vocal dress-up or something akin to that. And one night, as yet another female singer whipped herself into a shrieking emotionless frenzy, I thought to myself, “If Karen Carpenter, Carole King, Olivia Newton-John or even Joni Mitchell arrived on the scene today, they would never make it on this show.” This is what the 12-octave range of Mariah Carey has wrought.
I realize that for an album review, this may be an unusual way for me to begin but trust me, dear readers, there was a point to that preamble. Through a friend, I recently received a copy of “Grateful,” the debut album from singer/songwriter Jen Hannah. Upon the first couple of listens, my initial impression was that the album felt to be the antithesis or even the antidote to all of the showboating contained within the overwrought singing that has run rampant over our airwaves for so long now. While I have nothing against the likes of Mary J. Blige, for instance, there is only ONE of her and I fear that aspiring singers and even some established artists haven’t realized that one could achieve more with profoundly less and that just because one can hit every note within the octave scale does not necessarily mean that they should. Jen Hannah not only achieves so much more with less, every note throughout this precious, quiet album feels meticulously arranged, exceedingly well conceived, lyrically meditative, lushly produced without becoming overly fussy with studio wizardry and then, most of all, there is the continuously expressive warmth of Hannah’s voice which serves as the album’s focal point and rock solid center.
“Grateful” opens with the track “Anything Is Possible” which begins with the sound of Hannah strumming a ukulele and asking the question, “What’s your dream that sometimes feels impossible?” From that moment, the song builds and feels like it is the album’s mission statement as “Grateful” is not only the culmination of this particular artist’s dreams but also, what I am perceiving to be her hopes for all who have chosen to listen. Hannah desires that we all follow suit with our own respective dreams and deepest, secret desires. The musicality of the track reflects this gentle call to the spirit as instrumentation of percussion, violin, additional vocals and even handclaps rise to carry us along this inner journey which is designed to inspire. When she sings “Believe!” you believe that she means it.
“Grateful” is an album of pure and purposeful gentleness. With appropriately uncluttered instrumentation, on which Hannah accompanies herself on guitar, piano and ukulele along with other musicians, “Grateful” is presented almost as a song cycle of non-denominational and non-dogmatic spirituality and intensely focused self-awareness. The album’s 10 tracks, entirely composed by Hannah, are selections whose lyrical perspective can shift and change easily yet always find a consistent and strong emotional center and gravity. And throughout the entirety of the album, all roads lead back to Hannah’s voice, which is warm, inviting, rich, clean, and clear. Yet, it is also a voice that instantly took me back to singers like Karen Carpenter and Carole King (this album sometimes reminded me of Kings classic “Tapestry” album) or more recent equivalents like Everything But The Girl’s Tracey Thorn or even Dido. These are deceptively simple voices that sing deceptively simple songs but actually contain an ocean’s worth of complexity. The songs of “Grateful” could be addressed from Mother to child, lover to lover, one fragile human soul to another or the inner spirit to itself.
Hannah’s vocals are, by turns, soothing and maternal (the lullaby sounding “Cradle You”), sneakily seductive (the Brazilian sounding “You Showed Up”), ethereal (“Peace Be Still”), tenderly mournful (“Be Love”) and even epic (“You Have It All,” the seven minute closer). My favorite tracks were the title track, which contains such a bittersweet wistfulness that plucked at my heartstrings without ever growing maudlin, twee, trite or even corny. “Peace Be Still,” for me was the album’s standout track, an especially strong feat as the song is the albums sparsest. Musically, Hannah accomplished the tricky feat of making the silence in between the actual notes and her voice musical. That track reminded me greatly of Joni Mitchell’s more challenging and jaw dropping work during the 1970s. Or even a track that could arrive from one of Peter Gabriel’s more interior moments.
Truth be told, “Grateful” is not the type of album that I typically gravitate towards as my rock and roll heart musically leads me down different roads. Music always chooses you yet at times, you just may need a little push to discover new sounds you would miss otherwise. “Grateful” is indeed one of those albums for me and after having listened to it a few times, I have found myself willingly retrieving it for re-plays which have proven to be continuously rewarding. Jen Hannah has created a special kind of album. This is early morning music, the kind that accompanies a sunrise. This is music for the spirit. Music that is calm, flows evenly, caresses and soothes yet also demands the fullest of you attention. “Grateful” is an album meant to engage with you, it is not meant to be listened to passively and it is not polite dinner music. Jen Hannah clearly possesses an artistic vision as well as a message to share and therefore, her music is created to be defiantly heard. It is music that captivates and continuously reveals itself to carry an emotional power that was unexpected.
“Grateful,” composed and performed by Jen Hannah, is a contemplative album that demands the fullest of your attention. And that voice! That voice! Hannah’s voice caught my ear immediately and it served as the anchor to a rewarding musical experience that those “American Idol” contestants could not even begin to touch.
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