January 1, 2015
"New Year's Day" performed by U2
"Dry Country" performed by The B-52's
"Strange Condition" performed by Pete Yorn
"Ain't That Easy" performed by D'Angelo and the Vanguard-WSPC PREMIERE
"New Year's Day" performed by James Iha
"Only One" performed by Kanye West with Paul McCartney-WSPC PREMIERE
"The Wait" performed by The Pretenders
"Hollywood" performed by Suzi Quatro
"The Jean Genie" performed by David Bowie
"Sweet FA" performed by Sweet
"Bad Reputation" performed by Thin Lizzy
"Somebody Calling" performed by Robin Trower
"Saturday Night Special" performed by The Runaways
January 2, 2015
"Annees de Pelerinage-1. Suiss section 8. Le mal du pays" composed by Franz Liszt
"Procedural" performed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross-WSPC PREMIERE
"Dr. Destructo" performed by Tangerine Dream
"RZA Theme" performed by The RZA
"Blase Runner Blues" performed by Vangelis
"Doors And Distance" performed by Antonio Sanchez-WSPC PREMIERE
January 3, 2015
"Brian Wilson Said" performed by Tears For Fears
"You Still Believe In Me' performed by The Beach Boys
"Titanic Days" performed by Kirsty MacColl
"Dream Of The Archer" performed by Heart
"Why Won't They Talk To Me?" performed by Tame Impala
January 4, 2015
"Diamond Bollocks" performed by Beck
"Dilettante" performed by St. Vincent
"Dejalo" performed by Rilo Kiley
"Demons Dance" performed by Paul McCartney
"Determination' performed by Todd Rundgren
"Demolition Man" performed by The Police
"Hide The Bone" performed by Prince
"Beanie G. And The Rose Tattoo" performed by Hall and Oates
"Microphone Fiend" performed by Eric B. & Rakim
"Monte Hall" performed by 3rd Bass
JAMES BROWN LIVE IN ZAIRE 1974
"Fight From The Inside" performed by Queen
January 5, 2015
"Back In The Saddle Again" performed by Gene Autry
"Welcome To The Working Week" performed by Elvis Costello
"Manic Monday" performed by The Bangles
"Five O'Clock World" performed by The Vogues
"Monday" performed by Jon Brion
"Pretty Girls" performed by Joe Jackson
"Atomic" performed by Blondie
"Anaise!" performed by The Smashing Pumpkins-WSPC PREMIERE
"Giorgio By Moroder" performed by Daft Punk
"I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone" performed by Giorgio Moroder
"Rising Sign" performed by Utopia
"Bad Boyfriend" performed by Garbage
January 7, 2015
"Ice Ice Gravy" performed by Tortoise
"Down Buttermilk Road" performed by Bearcubbin'!
"Sofa No. 1" performed by Frank Zappa
"It's All Too Much" performed by The Beatles
"Mercy Street" performed by Peter Gabriel with the New Blood Orchestra
"Out Of The Blue" performed by David Gilmour
"A Letter From The Shelter" performed by Planet P. Project
"Blues In Paris' performed by Sidney Bechet
January 8, 2015
HAPPY 68TH BIRTHDAY TO DAVID BOWIE
"Thursday's Child"
"Oh You Pretty Things"
"Fashion"
"Sweet Thing/Candidate/Sweet Thing (reprise)"
"Love Is Lost"
"She Shook Me Cold"
"The Mysteries"
"Fascination"
"Looking For Water"
"The Speed Of Life"
January 9, 2015
"Stone Cold" performed by Rainbow
"Pissin'" performed by Todd Rundgren
"Snowman" performed by XTC
"Mothership Connection (Starchild)" performed by Parliament
"Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" performed by The Jimi Hendrix Experience
"She's So Cold" performed by The Rolling Stones
"Hot (I Need To Be Loved, Loved, Loved, Loved, Loved)" performed by JAMES BROWN
HAPPY 71ST BIRTHDAY TO JIMMY PAGE
"In My Time Of Dying" (live)
"Achilles' Last Stand" (live)
"White Summer/Black Mountainside" (live)
January 10, 2015
"Beginnings Of A Great Adventure" performed by Lou Reed
"Rang Tang Ding Dong (I Am The Japanese Sandman)" performed by The Cellos
"You Better Run" performed by Pat Benatar
"New Frontier" performed by Donald Fagen
"Every Picture Tells A Story" performed by Rod Stewart
"Bargain" (live) performed by Foo Fighters with Gaz Coombes
"Cheapskate" performed by Supergrass
"Water" (live) performed by The Who
January 11, 2015
"Spooks" performed by Johnny Greenwood-WSPC PREMIERE
"Paperhouse" performed by Can
"Sim Sholom" performed by Kronos Quartet
"Blank Frank" performed by Brian Eno
"Aquarius" performed by Common
January 12, 2015
"Right On" performed by The Roots with Joanna Newsom
"Buffalo" performed by Gaz Coombes-WSPC PREMIERE
"Why Are We Sleeping?" performed by The Soft Machine
"New Age" performed by Tori Amos
"Education" performed by The Kinks
"Sleepless" performed by King Crimson
"Fela's Riff" performed by Talking Heads
"Gentlemen" performed by Fela Kuti
"Do You Dig U?" performed by Q-Tip
"Because I Got It Like That" performed by The Jungle Brothers
January 13, 2015
"Haven't Got A Clue" performed by The Flaming Lips
"Never Knew Your Name" performed by Madness
"Wild International" performed by Zack De La Rocha/One Day As A Lion
"How Many More Times" performed by Led Zeppelin
"I Can't Look Away" performed by Trevor Rabin
"Montreal" performed by Beau Dommage
January 14, 2015
"Call Of Life" performed by Jen Hannah-WSPC PREMIERE
"Coronus, The Terminator" performed by Flying Lotus
"50 Words For Snow" performed by Kate Bush
"The Violet Hour" performed by The Civil Wars
"Wish You Were Here" performed by Pink Floyd
"Tell Me If You Wanna Go Home" performed by Keira Knightley
"I Don't Wanna Die Anymore" performed by New Radicals
"Beautiful Dream" performed by World Party
January 15, 2015
"Happy Birthday" performed by Stevie Wonder
"Under The Pressure" performed by The War On Drugs-WSPC PREMIERE
"Soul Meets Body" performed by Death Cab For Cutie
"Done With You" performed by The Whitest Boy Alive
"Can't Be Sure" performed by The Sundays
"Show Me" performed by Garbage
"Whiskey Tango Foxtrot" performed by Youngblood Brass Band
January 16, 2015
FEATURED ALBUM: "2ND WIND" TODD RUNDGREN-HAPPY 24TH ANNIVERSARY!
"Change Myself"
"Who's Sorry Now"
"2nd Wind"
January 17, 2015
"Picture Me" performed by Susannah Hoffs
JAMES BROWN LIVE AT THE OLYMPIA 1971
January 18, 2015
"More Than This" performed by Roxy Music
"Gypsy" performed by Fleetwood Mac
"You Do Or You Don't" Performed by Lindsey Buckingham
"Sweet Louise" performed by The Belle Brigade
"Love Street" performed by The Doors
"Papercuts" performed by Modern Mod-WSPC PREMIERE
January 19, 2015
DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. NATIONAL HOLIDAY
"MARZ" performed by Prince & 3rdEyeGirl-WSPC PREMIERE
"Till It's Done (Tutu)" performed by D'Angelo and the Vanguard-WSPC PREMIERE
"By The Time I Get To Arizona" performed by Public Enemy
"Alabama" performed by John Coltrane
"They Won't Go When I Go" performed by Stevie Wonder
"A Change Is Gonna Come" performed by Sam Cooke
"Black Flowers" performed by Fishbone
"Blackbird" performed by The Beatles
"That Hump" performed by Erykah Badu
"Masters Of War" (live 1963) performed by Bob Dylan
"Won't Get Fooled Again" performed by The Who
"MLK" Performed by U2
January 20, 2015
"Being Beige" performed by The Smashing Pumpkins
"Lost All Control" performed by The Cold And Lovely-WSPC PREMIERE
"Little Sister" performed by Queens Of The Stone Age
"The Nurse Who Loved Me" performed by A Perfect Circle
"Datura" performed by Tori Amos
January 21, 2015
"Mary, Mary" performed by Run-DMC
"Manhattan" performed by Cat Power
"Baby Don't Get Hooked On Me" performed by Mac Davis
"The Way That I Want To Touch You" performed by The Captain and Tennille
"Mary, Mary' performed by The Monkees
January 22, 2015
"Junk Rock (Million Monkeys)" performed by Utopia
"Yellowcake" performed by Kaki King
"Humanity (Love The Way It Should Be)" performed by John Legend and The Roots
"Let's Get Satisfied" performed by George Clinton
"Down To Zero" performed by Joan Armatrading
January 23, 2015
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: "The Most Important Person: Oops! I Made A Mistake"
"It's A Mistake" performed by Men At Work
"This Charming Man" performed by The Smiths
"Lonely Words" performed by Pete Townshend
"Experiment Number One" performed by Cody ChesnuTT-WSPC PREMIERE
January 24, 2015
"Hair" from the motion picture "Hair"
"Dogs" performed by Pink Floyd
"Michael And Heather At The Baggage Claim" performed by Fountains Of Wayne
"Army Dreamers" performed by Kate Bush
"I'd Rather Be High" performed by David Bowie
"I Don't Wanna Be A Soldier Mama, I Don't Wanna Die' performed by John Lennon
"Tangram" by Tangerine Dream-in its entirety R.I.P. EDGAR FROESE
"From Now On (We Are One)" performed by Wendy and Lisa
"Clubland" performed by Elvis Costello and the Attractions
"Gimmie Something Good' (acoustic live) performed by Ryan Adams
"Oh Me, Oh My (I'm A Fool For You)" (live) performed by Aretha Franklin
"Here Is The News" performed by Electric Light Orchestra
January 25, 2015
"Johnee Jingo" performed by Todd Rundgren
"The Unknown Soldier" performed by The Doors
"Brothers In Arms" performed by Dire Straits
January 26, 2015
HAPPY 60TH BIRTHDAY TO EDWARD VAN HALEN
"Runnin' With The Devil"
"5150"
"Blood And Fire"
"Year To The Day"
"The Seventh Seal"
"Secrets"
"So This Is Love?"
"Feels So Good"
"Pleasure Dome"
"Beautiful Girls"
January 27, 2015
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: "The Most Important Person-Touching"
"I Have The Touch" performed by Peter Gabriel
"One Touch" performed by LCD Soundsystem
"The Touch" performed by Kim Wilde
"Touch" performed by Daft Punk
"Touch" performed by The Supremes
January 28, 2015
"Never Seeing The Ground For The Sky" performed by Sloan
"My Love" performed by Lenny Kravitz
"Siberian Khatru" performed by Yes
"Ride The Tiger" performed by Jefferson Starship
"Initiation" performed by Todd Rundgren
"Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy" performed by Queen
"Midnight At The Oasis" performed by Maria Muldaur
"Feel Like Making Love" performed by D'Angelo
"Les Fleur" performed by Minnie Ripperton
"Method Of Modern Love" performed by Hall and Oates
January 29, 2015
"One Too Many Mornings" performed by The Beau Brummels
"The Golden Throne" performed by Temples-WSPC PREMIERE
"Rollercoaster" performed by Everything But The Girl
"Come To Your Rescue" performed by Thinkman
"Lies" performed by The Thompson Twins
"Here Comes President Kill Again" performed by XTC
"Desert Inn" performed by Yello
"The Hardest Walk" performed by The Jesus And Mary Chain
January 30, 2015
"Mrs. Vandebilt" performed by Paul McCartney and Wings
"Johnny And Mary" performed by Robert Palmer
"Friday" performed by Joe Jackson
"Mystery Achievement" performed by The Pretenders
"Abacab" performed by Genesis
"Flamethrower" performed by The J. Geils Band
THE BEATLES 46TH ANNIVERSARY OF "THE ROOFTOP CONCERT"
"Don't Let Me Down"
"Get Back"
"The Reggae" performed by Keith Forsey from "The Breakfast Club"
"No Hay Nada Mas" performed by Mos Def
"Orange Moon" performed by Erykah Badu
"Yang: As Private I's 007" performed by P.M. Dawn
"Naima" performed by John Coltrane
January 31, 2015
"The Love I Saw In You Was Just A Mirage" performed by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
"When Smokey Sings" performed by ABC
"Mary's Prayer" performed by Meet Danny Wilson
"They Don't Know" performed by Kirsty MacColl
"You're My Favorite Waste Of Time" performed by Marshall Crenshaw
"The Neighbor" performed by Jason Falkner
THE OFFICIAL BLOGSITE OF DJ SAVAGE SCOTT-HOST OF SAVAGE RADIO AS BROADCAST ON WVMO 98.7 FM-THE VOICE OF MONONA
Saturday, January 31, 2015
Friday, January 30, 2015
NOW PLAYING IN THE SAVAGE JUKEBOX JANUARY 2015
"GONE GIRL"
TRENT REZNOR AND ATTICUS ROSS
Released September 30, 2014
"RUINS"
KEVIN JUNIOR
Released September 1, 2009
"CODA"
LED ZEPPELIN
Released November 19, 1982
"ADORE"
THE SMASHING PUMPKINS
Released June 2, 1998
"VENUS AND MARS"
PAUL McCARTNEY AND WINGS
Released May 27, 1975
UNTITLED
LED ZEPPELIN
Released November 8, 1971
"GIRLS WITH FUN HAIRCUTS"
BEARCUBBIN'!
Released May 2, 2014
"ONE CHORD TO ANOTHER"
SLOAN
Released March 11, 1997
"PENGUIN"
FLEETWOOD MAC
Released March 1973
"THE MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD"
DAVID BOWIE
Released November 4, 1970
"EXODUS"
NEW POWER GENERATION
Released January 1, 1995
"ONE OF THESE NIGHTS"
EAGLES
Released June 10, 1975
"MONUMENTS TO AN ELEGY"
THE SMASHING PUMPKINS
Released December 5, 2014
"EGE BAMYASI"
CAN
Released November 1972
"MAYBE YOU'VE BEEN BRAINWASHED TOO"
NEW RADICALS
Released October 20, 1998
"THE CLONES OF DR. FUNKENSTEIN"
PARLIAMENT
Released July 20, 1976
"LET'S TAKE IT TO THE STAGE"
FUNKADELIC
Released April 2, 1975
"NEVER HEAR THE END OF IT" SLOAN Released January 9, 2007
"THE DOUBLE CROSS" SLOAN Released May 10, 2011
TRENT REZNOR AND ATTICUS ROSS
Released September 30, 2014
"RUINS"
KEVIN JUNIOR
Released September 1, 2009
"CODA"
LED ZEPPELIN
Released November 19, 1982
"ADORE"
THE SMASHING PUMPKINS
Released June 2, 1998
"VENUS AND MARS"
PAUL McCARTNEY AND WINGS
Released May 27, 1975
UNTITLED
LED ZEPPELIN
Released November 8, 1971
"GIRLS WITH FUN HAIRCUTS"
BEARCUBBIN'!
Released May 2, 2014
"ONE CHORD TO ANOTHER"
SLOAN
Released March 11, 1997
"PENGUIN"
FLEETWOOD MAC
Released March 1973
"THE MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD"
DAVID BOWIE
Released November 4, 1970
"EXODUS"
NEW POWER GENERATION
Released January 1, 1995
"ONE OF THESE NIGHTS"
EAGLES
Released June 10, 1975
"MONUMENTS TO AN ELEGY"
THE SMASHING PUMPKINS
Released December 5, 2014
"EGE BAMYASI"
CAN
Released November 1972
"MAYBE YOU'VE BEEN BRAINWASHED TOO"
NEW RADICALS
Released October 20, 1998
"THE CLONES OF DR. FUNKENSTEIN"
PARLIAMENT
Released July 20, 1976
"LET'S TAKE IT TO THE STAGE"
FUNKADELIC
Released April 2, 1975
"NEVER HEAR THE END OF IT" SLOAN Released January 9, 2007
"THE DOUBLE CROSS" SLOAN Released May 10, 2011
Friday, January 16, 2015
HIGHER AND DEEPER: "RISE" JEN HANNAH
"RISE"
JEN HANNAH
MUSICIANS:
Jen Hannah: Vocals, Doumbek on "Ni Estas Uno" and Handclaps on "Shine A Light"
Andreas Schuld: Acoustic and Electric Guitars, Guitalele, Keyboards, Programming
Finn Manniche: Cello
John Hegner: Piano and Wurlitzer
Graeme Coleman: Piano on "Walk Through The World"
Cassandra Vohs-Demann & Alayna DeVar: Backing Vocals on "Shine A Light"
Nathen Aswell: Backing Vocals and Handclaps on "Shine A Light"
All music and lyrics by Jen Hannah
except "Dance With Me" music and lyrics by Jen Hannah and Andreas Schuld
Produced by Jen Hannah and Andreas Schuld
Released 2014
From the very beginning of Synesthesia, and for some of you who happen to be social network friends with me, I have been enthusiastically throwing my full support to the musical vision and artistry of singer/songwriter Jen Hannah. From her 2011 debut album "Grateful" and last year's single "Breathe," Hannah has deftly crafted an already impressive body of work that showcases her voluminously empathetic songwriting skills and even more importantly, the supreme warmth of her richly graceful voice, which has disarmed me every single time that I have had the opportunity to hear her sing.
Late last year, I received a copy of Hannah's second full length release, entitled "Rise," and throughout the business of the holiday season and the sheer amount of music that I had already been listening to, somehow I just knew that I wanted to find a quieter time to devote to Hannah's latest album as I did not want the noise of life to interfere with the intimacy she creates with her music. And so, after a holiday season which eventually settled itself down into the calmness of home, family, cats, rest and relaxation, the first of the New Year arrived and on one early morning, I placed the album into my car for the first listen and soon found the music playing in a repeated loop. I am hoping that I am able to convince you to give her album a try and perhaps you may find yourselves having similarly enthusiastic reactions.
As with her first album, Jen Hannah's "Rise" is another collection of quiet, introspective, meditative songs of hope and affirmation that are as devotional or as secular as I believe any listener would wish to take the songs into their individual beings. Hannah's songwriting and lyricism remains sharply direct, with her strict economy of words conveying deceptively simplistic sentiments that in reality unearth a world of emotions and spiritual nuances regarding precisely how she, and all of us, engage with the life force from day to day.
Most importantly, "Rise" is no mere retread of past material and in some cases, the material this time around is perhaps a bit tougher than what was found on "Grateful." Hannah is wise enough to know that songs of hope and affirmation do not necessarily work just existing in and of themselves as they can sometimes come off to some listeners as empty sentiments or hollow platitudes. With "Rise," Jen Hannah consistently and beautifully displays the deep, spiritual work we all undergo to continuously discover and live up to the best of ourselves, a task that is on-going and sometimes fraught with failure as success sometimes feels remote and unattainable. That honesty and emotional realism gives "Rise" a powerful grounding and depth that makes the level of rejoice found within this exquisite material that much more palpable and glorious.
.
"Rise" opens with the dual musical mission statements of "Call Of Life" (which carries an instrumentation that reminded me a little bit of the Indigo Girls) and the title track. Both of these selections are perfect examples of how Hannah utilizes language that on the first listen may sound to be too facile but there is a serious purposefulness and precise quality to the words that she has chosen to convey her messages. "Come nearer, step further/Move higher, go deeper/This is the call of Life," goes the chorus in the first song and immediately, I was struck with how the choice of Hannah's words actually gave me a sense of pause and the opportunity to really think about what she is singing.
Think about what it means to open your eyes each day and then, think again about what it actually means to perform all of your daily tasks just face the word and therefore, life itself, day in and day out, and only to find yourself in the position of having to perform the same duty all over again the very next day. Indeed, and even before we have departed our homes, life is calling and we have the choice to respond or not. For some of us, this act is automatic but I would think that for most of us, these actions just may be more difficult than we are either sometimes willing to admit to ourselves. And then, what of those for whom life itself is a constant series of obstacles, tribulations and even traumas?
The track "Rise" gives credence to all of us and whatever levels of baggage we may be carrying along with us through each day and night as again Hannah presents us with how our reaction to life and how we engage with life is indeed and always a choice. "Was stuck in the middle of hopelessness/Feeling the heat of this fire that burns/Then, I see in me a seed that needs/The heat of the flame to be set free/Let the refining fires burn/From the ashes of what I saw as failure I'll rise/From the rubble of what I saw as defeat, I'll rise," Hannah sings over gently chugging guitars which are augmented by the embrace of Finn Maniche's cello and the steady, unwavering percussive beat that urges Hannah, the song and all of us to continue moving forwards.
After the guiding healing heart of "Breathe" (originally profiled April 2014), Jen Hannah's "Rise" continues with the devotional prayer of "Abundant All," the blissfully communal and romantic "Dance With Me," and the lush divinity of "This Gift," a song that seemed to carry gentle nods to The Righteous Brothers' classic "Unchained Melody" to my ears. And as glistening as those tracks are, all of which are built around Hannah's subtle, nuanced and honey dipped vocals, I think she saved the best material for the album's final five tracks.
"Sacred Vessel" was the first track on "Rise" that made me snap to attention due to its striking lyrical nakedness and emotional transparency, especially for an artist like Hannah who indeed wears her musical heart bravely upon her artistic sleeves. It is a song that begins as a stark confessional and with a certain level of probing and painful self-examination that is reminiscent (at least to my ears) of nothing less than the gripping work of John Lennon, most specifically within his solo work. "For years, it's been love-hate between us/For years, I wanted you to be something other than what you were," Hannah begins with a stunner of an opening couplet. And then, it continues:
"With you I wrestled,
Felt resentful,
Was so judgmental,
I was not gentle,
Not respectful,
Not reverential,
I thought I WAS you,
and nothing more,
Now, enough,
No more"
Wow.
With the mountain of music that I have listened to throughout my life, it is remarkable to think about how much of it has dealt with some form of inner pain, whether romantic, interpersonal, political or spiritual. There is so much that can be said about becoming immersed within songs of pain for pain's sake, as there is solace in the realization that what you are enduring in your own life is not solitary, in and of itself. Pain is universal and songs about pain are designed for us to feel a connection, even if it is with something as ephemeral as a song. That said, I do think that it is rare to hear songs about how to transcend pain or more truthfully, how one works through the pain. With "Sacred Vessel," a song that begins as described and then transforms itself into something of a processional, Jen Hannah is perfectly illustrating the work it takes to emerge from darkness and sometimes that work involves some serious soul searching meant to unearth some difficult truths about oneself, the very truths that can necessitate personal evolution. This is a song of remorse and forgiveness which also flips the script as the act of asking to be forgiven is often the most strenuous undertaking as is making the conscious choice to leave emotional turbulence behind.
The transcendence continues with "Shine A Light," whose melody and sing-a-long quality will inspire you to join in. The funky and percussive "Ni Estas Uno" brings Hannah's utopian outlook to the forefront and the album's finale "A Soul's Song Sung" feels like a direct message from Hannah to the listener explaining the gift that music has given to her and what she hopes she can give to it and to us in return.
Yet, still, there was one more track that truly moved me and seemed to hit me in the precise spot regarding how I am envisioning life and how it is lived...or at least how I am choosing to live and acknowledge it and those I encounter. The piano ballad "Walk Through The World" represents a sentiment I have only really begun to feel as I have gotten older, the understanding of how my life has been filled and shaped by every single individual that has ever entered it. When Hannah sings, "Yesterday, our steps ran parallel," I marvel at the people who are currently so crucial to my life that I simply cannot fathom a time when I did not know and love them. To that end, they are all in me and I hope that I have reciprocated enough because who am I without what they have given to me? Regardless of what some may think or believe, I do not believe that we voyage through life as empty vessels. I believe that we are filled by a universe of influences and that the process of discovering precisely who we are as individuals is directly integral to those we come in contact with. Whether I have seen you an hour ago or twenty years ago, I could not be who I am without you and this song just expressed this sentiment blissfully.
Where "Grateful" was an album of surprise and musical pensiveness and her single "Breathe" provided me with solace and release, "Rise" is a profoundly moving album where actually, the overwhelming emotion I felt throughout was sheer happiness. Not through any innocuous fashion, mind you. I felt happiness through hearing Jen Hannah's lovely voice again through some terrific new material and noticing just how much she has grown as a songwriter in such a short period of time. Working with her Co-Producer Andreas Schld, Hannah has forged a musical palate, while not terribly far removed from the acoustic based gentleness of "Grateful," that sounds a bit punchier, is beautifully sequenced and the songwriting itself sounds particularly more focused, tightened and direct. While I have always been so impressed with Hannah's lyrics, her songwriting pen has sharpened even more as she continuously finds just the precise words to convey a world of emotions in a clean, clear style that I feel that any listener could relate to, if they choose to give her music an honest chance. She is so musically clever in her unrepentantly emotional approach yet always displays a high level of taste as you can easily hear how the songs could drift straight into Mariah Carey territory but never do, as Hannah always understands that less is more.
Jen Hannah's "Rise" is the sound of an artist building steam, gaining confidence, growing stronger and one that seems to be realizing the breadth and depth of her musical powers more and more. And that voice!!! I could go on and on about her voice (and I have) but enough of me. It's time for you to find out for yourselves.
"Rise" is NOW available at www.JenHannahSings.com
JEN HANNAH
MUSICIANS:
Jen Hannah: Vocals, Doumbek on "Ni Estas Uno" and Handclaps on "Shine A Light"
Andreas Schuld: Acoustic and Electric Guitars, Guitalele, Keyboards, Programming
Finn Manniche: Cello
John Hegner: Piano and Wurlitzer
Graeme Coleman: Piano on "Walk Through The World"
Cassandra Vohs-Demann & Alayna DeVar: Backing Vocals on "Shine A Light"
Nathen Aswell: Backing Vocals and Handclaps on "Shine A Light"
All music and lyrics by Jen Hannah
except "Dance With Me" music and lyrics by Jen Hannah and Andreas Schuld
Produced by Jen Hannah and Andreas Schuld
Released 2014
From the very beginning of Synesthesia, and for some of you who happen to be social network friends with me, I have been enthusiastically throwing my full support to the musical vision and artistry of singer/songwriter Jen Hannah. From her 2011 debut album "Grateful" and last year's single "Breathe," Hannah has deftly crafted an already impressive body of work that showcases her voluminously empathetic songwriting skills and even more importantly, the supreme warmth of her richly graceful voice, which has disarmed me every single time that I have had the opportunity to hear her sing.
Late last year, I received a copy of Hannah's second full length release, entitled "Rise," and throughout the business of the holiday season and the sheer amount of music that I had already been listening to, somehow I just knew that I wanted to find a quieter time to devote to Hannah's latest album as I did not want the noise of life to interfere with the intimacy she creates with her music. And so, after a holiday season which eventually settled itself down into the calmness of home, family, cats, rest and relaxation, the first of the New Year arrived and on one early morning, I placed the album into my car for the first listen and soon found the music playing in a repeated loop. I am hoping that I am able to convince you to give her album a try and perhaps you may find yourselves having similarly enthusiastic reactions.
As with her first album, Jen Hannah's "Rise" is another collection of quiet, introspective, meditative songs of hope and affirmation that are as devotional or as secular as I believe any listener would wish to take the songs into their individual beings. Hannah's songwriting and lyricism remains sharply direct, with her strict economy of words conveying deceptively simplistic sentiments that in reality unearth a world of emotions and spiritual nuances regarding precisely how she, and all of us, engage with the life force from day to day.
Most importantly, "Rise" is no mere retread of past material and in some cases, the material this time around is perhaps a bit tougher than what was found on "Grateful." Hannah is wise enough to know that songs of hope and affirmation do not necessarily work just existing in and of themselves as they can sometimes come off to some listeners as empty sentiments or hollow platitudes. With "Rise," Jen Hannah consistently and beautifully displays the deep, spiritual work we all undergo to continuously discover and live up to the best of ourselves, a task that is on-going and sometimes fraught with failure as success sometimes feels remote and unattainable. That honesty and emotional realism gives "Rise" a powerful grounding and depth that makes the level of rejoice found within this exquisite material that much more palpable and glorious.
.
"Rise" opens with the dual musical mission statements of "Call Of Life" (which carries an instrumentation that reminded me a little bit of the Indigo Girls) and the title track. Both of these selections are perfect examples of how Hannah utilizes language that on the first listen may sound to be too facile but there is a serious purposefulness and precise quality to the words that she has chosen to convey her messages. "Come nearer, step further/Move higher, go deeper/This is the call of Life," goes the chorus in the first song and immediately, I was struck with how the choice of Hannah's words actually gave me a sense of pause and the opportunity to really think about what she is singing.
Think about what it means to open your eyes each day and then, think again about what it actually means to perform all of your daily tasks just face the word and therefore, life itself, day in and day out, and only to find yourself in the position of having to perform the same duty all over again the very next day. Indeed, and even before we have departed our homes, life is calling and we have the choice to respond or not. For some of us, this act is automatic but I would think that for most of us, these actions just may be more difficult than we are either sometimes willing to admit to ourselves. And then, what of those for whom life itself is a constant series of obstacles, tribulations and even traumas?
The track "Rise" gives credence to all of us and whatever levels of baggage we may be carrying along with us through each day and night as again Hannah presents us with how our reaction to life and how we engage with life is indeed and always a choice. "Was stuck in the middle of hopelessness/Feeling the heat of this fire that burns/Then, I see in me a seed that needs/The heat of the flame to be set free/Let the refining fires burn/From the ashes of what I saw as failure I'll rise/From the rubble of what I saw as defeat, I'll rise," Hannah sings over gently chugging guitars which are augmented by the embrace of Finn Maniche's cello and the steady, unwavering percussive beat that urges Hannah, the song and all of us to continue moving forwards.
After the guiding healing heart of "Breathe" (originally profiled April 2014), Jen Hannah's "Rise" continues with the devotional prayer of "Abundant All," the blissfully communal and romantic "Dance With Me," and the lush divinity of "This Gift," a song that seemed to carry gentle nods to The Righteous Brothers' classic "Unchained Melody" to my ears. And as glistening as those tracks are, all of which are built around Hannah's subtle, nuanced and honey dipped vocals, I think she saved the best material for the album's final five tracks.
"Sacred Vessel" was the first track on "Rise" that made me snap to attention due to its striking lyrical nakedness and emotional transparency, especially for an artist like Hannah who indeed wears her musical heart bravely upon her artistic sleeves. It is a song that begins as a stark confessional and with a certain level of probing and painful self-examination that is reminiscent (at least to my ears) of nothing less than the gripping work of John Lennon, most specifically within his solo work. "For years, it's been love-hate between us/For years, I wanted you to be something other than what you were," Hannah begins with a stunner of an opening couplet. And then, it continues:
"With you I wrestled,
Felt resentful,
Was so judgmental,
I was not gentle,
Not respectful,
Not reverential,
I thought I WAS you,
and nothing more,
Now, enough,
No more"
Wow.
With the mountain of music that I have listened to throughout my life, it is remarkable to think about how much of it has dealt with some form of inner pain, whether romantic, interpersonal, political or spiritual. There is so much that can be said about becoming immersed within songs of pain for pain's sake, as there is solace in the realization that what you are enduring in your own life is not solitary, in and of itself. Pain is universal and songs about pain are designed for us to feel a connection, even if it is with something as ephemeral as a song. That said, I do think that it is rare to hear songs about how to transcend pain or more truthfully, how one works through the pain. With "Sacred Vessel," a song that begins as described and then transforms itself into something of a processional, Jen Hannah is perfectly illustrating the work it takes to emerge from darkness and sometimes that work involves some serious soul searching meant to unearth some difficult truths about oneself, the very truths that can necessitate personal evolution. This is a song of remorse and forgiveness which also flips the script as the act of asking to be forgiven is often the most strenuous undertaking as is making the conscious choice to leave emotional turbulence behind.
The transcendence continues with "Shine A Light," whose melody and sing-a-long quality will inspire you to join in. The funky and percussive "Ni Estas Uno" brings Hannah's utopian outlook to the forefront and the album's finale "A Soul's Song Sung" feels like a direct message from Hannah to the listener explaining the gift that music has given to her and what she hopes she can give to it and to us in return.
Yet, still, there was one more track that truly moved me and seemed to hit me in the precise spot regarding how I am envisioning life and how it is lived...or at least how I am choosing to live and acknowledge it and those I encounter. The piano ballad "Walk Through The World" represents a sentiment I have only really begun to feel as I have gotten older, the understanding of how my life has been filled and shaped by every single individual that has ever entered it. When Hannah sings, "Yesterday, our steps ran parallel," I marvel at the people who are currently so crucial to my life that I simply cannot fathom a time when I did not know and love them. To that end, they are all in me and I hope that I have reciprocated enough because who am I without what they have given to me? Regardless of what some may think or believe, I do not believe that we voyage through life as empty vessels. I believe that we are filled by a universe of influences and that the process of discovering precisely who we are as individuals is directly integral to those we come in contact with. Whether I have seen you an hour ago or twenty years ago, I could not be who I am without you and this song just expressed this sentiment blissfully.
Where "Grateful" was an album of surprise and musical pensiveness and her single "Breathe" provided me with solace and release, "Rise" is a profoundly moving album where actually, the overwhelming emotion I felt throughout was sheer happiness. Not through any innocuous fashion, mind you. I felt happiness through hearing Jen Hannah's lovely voice again through some terrific new material and noticing just how much she has grown as a songwriter in such a short period of time. Working with her Co-Producer Andreas Schld, Hannah has forged a musical palate, while not terribly far removed from the acoustic based gentleness of "Grateful," that sounds a bit punchier, is beautifully sequenced and the songwriting itself sounds particularly more focused, tightened and direct. While I have always been so impressed with Hannah's lyrics, her songwriting pen has sharpened even more as she continuously finds just the precise words to convey a world of emotions in a clean, clear style that I feel that any listener could relate to, if they choose to give her music an honest chance. She is so musically clever in her unrepentantly emotional approach yet always displays a high level of taste as you can easily hear how the songs could drift straight into Mariah Carey territory but never do, as Hannah always understands that less is more.
Jen Hannah's "Rise" is the sound of an artist building steam, gaining confidence, growing stronger and one that seems to be realizing the breadth and depth of her musical powers more and more. And that voice!!! I could go on and on about her voice (and I have) but enough of me. It's time for you to find out for yourselves.
"Rise" is NOW available at www.JenHannahSings.com
Saturday, January 3, 2015
WSPC SESSION NOTES FOR JANUARY 2015
FROM THE DJ's STUDIO DESK:
Happy New Year to all of you! How were your holidays? Was Santa good to you? I have to say that Santa was very good to me, as the time to just be home to rest and recharge has increasingly become the very best gift that I could hope to have. Oh yes...of course, there was also the gift of some new music to dive into and explore as well, and you know that I am always thankful for a gift like that.
Yet, as we begin 2015, and as I am still having some of that holiday afterglow within me, that whole spirit of hearth and home, I thought that maybe this month would kind of be about bringing it back "home" so to speak by focusing on artists that are more local to the whereabouts of the WSPC studios. While I will not reveal just yet, I am hoping to write two features that will possibly inspire you to head out and seek some new music from artists that are unfamiliar. Who knows? Perhaps it is this very new music that just may become new favorites for you!
I hope this year will be good to every single one of you, filled with friends, family, opportunities, blessings and all wonderful things. If obstacles arrive, as they undoubtedly tend to do, regardless of their size and frequency, may you circumvent them as best as you ate able. And all the while, may music surround you to guide your way.
And as always...PLAY LOUD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Happy New Year to all of you! How were your holidays? Was Santa good to you? I have to say that Santa was very good to me, as the time to just be home to rest and recharge has increasingly become the very best gift that I could hope to have. Oh yes...of course, there was also the gift of some new music to dive into and explore as well, and you know that I am always thankful for a gift like that.
Yet, as we begin 2015, and as I am still having some of that holiday afterglow within me, that whole spirit of hearth and home, I thought that maybe this month would kind of be about bringing it back "home" so to speak by focusing on artists that are more local to the whereabouts of the WSPC studios. While I will not reveal just yet, I am hoping to write two features that will possibly inspire you to head out and seek some new music from artists that are unfamiliar. Who knows? Perhaps it is this very new music that just may become new favorites for you!
I hope this year will be good to every single one of you, filled with friends, family, opportunities, blessings and all wonderful things. If obstacles arrive, as they undoubtedly tend to do, regardless of their size and frequency, may you circumvent them as best as you ate able. And all the while, may music surround you to guide your way.
And as always...PLAY LOUD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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