Gun Shy Trigger Happy

Jen Trynin | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 12, 1997)
• Original Release Date: August 12, 1997
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Warner Bros / Wea
• ASIN: B000002NGU
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #312,743 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insert favorite superlative here, May 5, 2000

By 

J. Kruppa "JKruppa" (New Orleans, LA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gun Shy Trigger Happy (Audio CD)

It would be easy to lose Jen Trynin in today's throng of "girls with guitars," but "Gun Shy/Trigger Happy" is so well-written, well-produced and well-performed that to call Trynin just another girl with a guitar seems as criminal as saying F. Scott Fitzgerald was just another guy with a typewriter.

For one thing, Trynin is an excellent guitarist whose playing is concise and often powerful. (One may be surprised to find, given the varied texture of the parts, that she is the album's sole guitarist.) She sticks to catchy, crunchy riffs and simple guitar figures that often develop throughout the songs, and her "solos" are chord/rhythm-oriented, which contributes to the taut structure of each song. "Gun Shy" has a wealth of beautifully realized musical ideas that compliment Trynin's pared-to-the-bone lyrics and evocative singing. She and producer Mike Deneen have used the bite of Trynin's 1994 major label debut, "Cockamamie," as a foundation and filled out her sound with such subtlety and imagination that every song is wholly satisfying in its own way. Personal favorites: "Getaway," which builds majestically on layers of rhythm guitars and backing vocals; "Writing Notes," where Trynin decries lost innocence with touching candor; and the delicate "Rang You and Ran," which is as neat a capsule as anyone needs about vulnerability in the face of a failed relationship.

Regrettably, after such an artistic triumph, Trynin was dropped by her label due to what she has diplomatically described as "restructuring" in the music industry. We may all seize on music biz foolishness as an easy excuse for why "Gun Shy" didn't go platinum right out of the gate, but anyone familiar with the history of great music that somehow slipped through the cracks knows that this is the kind of album whose reputation grows by word of mouth and eventually becomes a classic. In other words, stand "Gun Shy/Trigger Happy" up next to The Velvet Underground's third album and Big Star's "Radio City." It's really that good.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE Most Overlooked, Most Underrated artst today!, October 20, 2002

By 

Raymond C. Ruether (Oklahoma City, OK USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gun Shy Trigger Happy (Audio CD)

It's such a shame more people don't know about Jennifer (Jen) Trynin. She is by far the most overlooked, most underrated artist of the past 10 years. Both "Cockamamie" and "Gun Shy Trigger Happy" received unanimously favorable reviews when they were released, but alas, aside from some alternative-rock success with the single, "Better Than Nothing", Jen unfortunately was overshadowed by Alanis Morissette (whose "Jagged Little Pill" came out at virtualy the same time as "Cockamamie"). Each track on these CDs is a standout; Jen is not only an amazing singer and guitarist, but a fantastic songwriter as well. I had the good fortune to see her perform live twice in Chicago in 1997 and 1998 (once opening for Paula Cole and then headlining a few months later), and Jen can rock with the best of them. If only she had she been picked up for the Lilith Fair a few years ago! I believe she is now concentrating on prose writing, and she's also performing in a band called Loveless in the Boston area. If you're into extreme rarities, "Trespassing", her 5-song EP from 1988, is well worth searching for (I believe it was available on vinyl and cassette only). Other goodies worth seeking out are the "Safe and Sound" compilation CD (featuring Jen's awesome track, "Don't Take It Out On Me"), "For The Love Of Harry" tribute to Harry Nilsson, (she covers "Mourning Glory Story"), the "Respond" compilation (for her track, "Sad Girl"), and "Viva Noel: a Q Division Christmas" (for her beautiful take on "The Christmas Song"). In the meantime, do yourself a favor and check out both "Cockamamie" and "Gun Shy Trigger Happy"; these are two hidden gems that are well worth discovering... I promise you will NOT be disappointed!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More proof that the best artists never get airplay, July 28, 2002

By 

John S. Harris "The Voice of Reason" (Memphis, TN) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gun Shy Trigger Happy (Audio CD)

If you think the best records are the ones that get played on the radio and/or win Grammies, then you are WAY off. Trynin has released yet another wonderful pop-rock record, only to be dropped by her record label in favor of "better selling" artists. But the label's loss is our, well, it's our loss too. Trynin is as talented a guitarist as she is a singer and songwriter. She's the whole package. Pick up this record before it disappears into oblivion completely. Its hard enough to find good music anymore. Don't miss your chance on this one. Why ANYONE listens to the radio anymore is beyond me. ALL of the best stuff still sits languishing in the CD bins, unheard by the the general public's ears.
Or then again, you can buy just the radio hits and continue to be a part of the problem.