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Jess Klein – Strawberry Lover

 

Almost five years after her excellent ‘Draw them Near’ album, Jess has returned with another striking disc – ‘Strawberry Lover’ follows her move from Boston to Brooklyn, and this relocation is matched by a subtle change in sound, with this disc having a firmer and rockier edge to her previous work.

Klein’s roots as an acoustic singer/songwriter are easily identifiable in her lyrics as there’s still a great deal of craft and sophistication here, with strong observations and emotional impact throughout.

The fuller sound is partly due to the use of instrumentation which includes guitars (both acoustic and electric), bass, drums, Hammond and Wurlitzer, but above all else it’s the varied harmonies that really make the disc.  Over the course of the eleven tracks it’s easy to pick up on the obvious influences, in particular there are Motown style harmonies on numerous songs (especially ‘Office Girl’), and the structure and use of vocals in ‘Darkroom’ evokes the memory of early Elvis Costello and the Attractions – these are just two of the many intelligent pop references that make this album instantly accessible while still sounding fresh.

The various styles used on ‘Strawberry Lover’ only work as well as they because of Klein’s versatile and individual voice, she moves from folk to country right through to rock without ever failing to convince.  The fact that the strongest songs on the album (‘Darkroom’, ‘Willing to Change’ and ‘Shonalee’) are all different and cover a broad range of styles is testament to Klein’s vocal skills.

This is a confident and colourful album that really stands out from the crowd – intelligent singer/songwriter tracks paired with pop hooks and some stunning harmonies.  Highly recommended.

KLEIN JESS - STRAWBERRY LOVER

Klein Jess

CD (Cat No: 13000)

£13.49
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KLEIN JESS - STRAWBERRY LOVER

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