Jenny Wren And Her Borrowed Wings –A Soup
www.jennywrenandherborrowedwings.com
Creature Records
13 songs time-45:05
This acoustic trio from the U.K. dabbles in music that takes from roots music, blues, jazz, old timey music and folk music. Jenny Trilsbach handles lead vocal and double bass while Ben Gallon plays acoustic guitar and Ben Fisher on Resophonic guitar. Both Bens supply backup vocals. There are no guest musicians and all compositions are generated by the members. Although the instrumentation is the same throughout, they keep things fresh with a variety of rhythms and guitar interplay. Jenny’s voice has a bit of a rough edge to it and that lends a touch of authenticity to the songs. The guitarists work out very enjoyable intertwining guitar parts. The band accomplishes a lot with a little.
The opening “A Sailor’s Blues” flies sprightly by, clocking in 1:32, featuring some nice slide playing by Ben Fisher. Next up is the slow and deliberate ballad “The Leaving”. Jenny’s voice attains a melancholy and yearning quality. The guitar here is liltingly lovely. “Until It’s My Time To Go” maintains a similar vibe. Jenny’s voice cries out at the appropriate times. Ben Gallon’s guitar takes on the jazzy spirit of Django Reinhardt on the upbeat “Don’t Bring Me Down”. The whimsical and breezy “Brick By Brick” gets a similar treatment.
Ben Fisher provides some mellow slide playing on “Some Big Deal”. Jenny’s bass is prominent on the beat heavy “Sucker On The Vine”. The slow “This Song Is A Lie” is the recipient of some very nicely melodic guitar from both players. All three players are in tandem at the onset of “The Promised Land”, a song that harkens back to the hey day of folk music.
A nice change of pace from three gifted and imaginative musicians. Rest your weary ears upon the intricate and often jazzy acoustic guitar play. The band has crafted interesting lyrics to compliment the creative music within. This CD is a welcome relief to the usual electric guitar barrages we have been so used to. Give a listen to this collection of well crafted original tunes. It’s no easy task pulling well done songs out of thin air.