4.0 out of 5 stars
Many musical moods from sensual to locomotive, May 25, 2005
This review is from: Ashes (Audio CD)
Playing Time - 37:26 -- Canadian Jen Kraatz's second album, "Ashes" is a poetic followup to her 1998 release, "Trudge" which reinforces her signature eclectic sound that draws influence from blues, folk, jazz, and soul music. The opener, "Tracks" even conveys an acoustic country sound with John `Woody' Woroschuck's dobro and Ben Sures' acoustic guitar. "Old Man" has an almost Dixieland jazz feel with honky-tonk piano. Her title cut states, "the fires will keep you burning and you will stop this hurting whether or not my ashes remain." Kraatz's own fire is the muse that draws her to sing, and she gets some able and creative instrumental assistance from Andrew Duplantis, Paul `Duke' Paetz, Shuyler Jansen, Robin Hunter, Graham Guest and others. Six background vocal accompanists also contributed. Jansen is well known with the Alberta-based band, Old Reliable, while Paetz is a veteran of the alternative music scene with Jerry Jerry and the Sons of Rhythm Orchestra, Jr. Gone Wild, and The Almost Leather Band. From Austin, Texas, Duplantis plays bass with Alejandro Escovedo and his own group called Sin Pelo.
The result on "Ashes" is an interesting and innovative presence that falls nicely into the grooves. While there are plenty of opportunities to strut their stuff, there's no grandstanding by the accompanists, and Jen's fluid vocals always remain the center of attention. If I'd been mixing the project, I might even have put them up a notch or two as Kraatz' vocal technique is at times a bit subdued and quiet.
Shawn Jonasson co-penned two numbers ("Tapping Stone" and "Homebrew") with Kraatz. While her melodies are fairly simplistic, her lyrics require a fair amount of thoughtful contemplation to tune into her messages. Albums like hers should include the lyrics in the CD jacket, although they are available on her website (jenkraatz.com). Kraatz's sophomore effort continues to push the eclectic envelope and shows that she can cover many musical moods from sensual to locomotive. With a decade of performance experience at concerts and festivals, Jen Kraatz seems more confident now with her music. She has shared the stage with Martin Sexton, toured North America with The Rambling Roses Revue (with Luann Kowalek and Wendy McNeill), and hosted a weekly open stage. She's poised to build an even larger fan base as "Ashes" gets radio airplay throughout Canada and the United States. (Joe Ross, Roseburg, OR.)
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