Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unrecognized Genius, April 1, 2005
As a "retired" singer/songwriter/actress from a musical family, who memorized and made up high soprano harmonies to every Joni Mitchell tune in the 1970's, and first heard The Story at Ikea's in Elizabeth, N.J. in the early 1990's. I wasn't immediately reached by Jennifer's debut CD.
I held onto it for a few years and listened to it again recently, only to become completely taken by it. It is interesting to me that I can agree with both those reviewers who found Jennifer's voice and songwriting remarkable and those who felt it was nothing new or greatly different than The Story.
I believe that Jennifer was far more the woman behind Jonatha Brooke in The Story than has been recognized. (Jonatha acknowledged her on her first solo CD with thanks to Jennifer for "your voice and care, and for bringing The Story such a long way," but the story behind The Story is far more complex, I believe.)
And I believe that Jennifer may not even have recognized this herself until after the two performers split. On the CD cover, Jennifer acknowledges Leslie Holmes "for bringing back my voice and helping me to feel like I could sing anything." It seems that Jennifer may not have realized her own talent.
Mind you, I love Jonatha's stuff, also. But while Jonatha is also terribly talented, she's more hardened, too. Both are rare talents but Jennifer's talent is perhaps more complex and fragile.
It is also interesting that at least one of The Story crew stuck with Jennifer -- namely Ben Whitman -- while at least one other went with Jonatha -- namely Alain Mallet).
Jennifer acknowledges Ben Whitman's "enduring optimism, unswerving concentration and burning musical ideas [that] made these songs fly." Jonatha acknowledges Alain "for pulling me through the abyss, for love, for music."
Jonatha's early lyrics pointed to forbidden relationships with women and desperately harmful ones with men (not to mention those with her rather disturbed parents), but she apparently ended up becoming an adopted member of the French family of Alain who was one of her producer/arrangers, while Jennifer seems to have retained her professional relationship with others of the original team.
Both seem to have maintained their relationship with Ben Wisch, engineer, of Blue Jay Studio, Carlisle, MA. (whom Jennifer acknowledges for his "shimmering mixes, an open heart, and the big view." (Ben mixed Jonatha's first solo CD "Plumb.")
The Story appears to have relied on mutual dependency in a peculiar, symbiotic attraction, which ended up in ashes like the Phoenix bird.
When I saw the two at Ikea, they were amazing but very unfriendly to their audience, as though snobbishness was the mark of talent, and one fellow who was trying to ask them something (and got a cold shoulder) walked off remarking on their rudeness.
Years later in concert, Jonatha, solo, told the audience that the word "stone" in her song, "Blood from a Stone," was her mother's maiden name. At Jonatha's announcement of "Angel in the House," -- a clearly autobiographical story about her parents -- Jonatha's father, who was sitting like a statute next to Jonatha's mother directly in front of me in the audience, for the first time seemed affected and moved.
Whatever the complexities of the relationship between Jonatha and Jennifer, which obviously created fallout for both of them, Jennifer seems to have recovered and found her wings. It's been a few years since the album came out and no more have followed. I hope she does more. Her voice alone is inspiring to me (a fellow high soprano with fragile undertones). Thank you, Jennifer.
|
|
|
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
15 months of pleasure, December 8, 1999
I have never written a review of anything before but feel compelled to write this as a way of giving back to Ms. Kimball for the many hours of great music she has given me. This CD has been on my constant rotation for almost 15 months. I've been fortunate to see her in a small-venue concert as well. Gorgeous voice, beautiful and carefully choosen words, the perfect amount of instrumentation. I'm buying many copies to send to my friends for XMass.Try "Veering From The Wave" or "Kissing In The Car." If you appreciate clear, relevant music and you like Mary Chapin Carpenter,Beth Orton,Shawn Colvin,Chris Smithers,or Kim Richey you won't be disappointed.
|
|
|
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A tentative debut from a beautiful singer, January 5, 2000
By A Customer
Jennifer Kimball was always a sublime complement to Jonatha Brooke back in their days as The Story. Her voice is as versatile, but more delicate than Brooke's, and she harmonizes like almost no other. VEERING FROM THE WAVE unfortunately doesn't distinguish her artistically enough from Brooke who has forged ahead with gusto in her solo career. Kimball's songwriting seems to be modeled on Brooke's (who wrote all of The Story's music) and there is a sameness to the lovely sounds in each song on this album. The best song on it, in my opinion, is Kimball's excellent cover of Crowded House's FALL AT YOUR FEET. For die hard fans of The Story, this is still a must have. Kimball is a real talent, and she may very well have better work up here sleeve. This one is solid, but not extraordinary.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
is Jennifer Kimball's 
