This second solo album from young North Devon singer/songwriter is a natural extension of ‘Barefoot & Eager’ in many ways – the themes of the sea are still evident in her writing, and the strong links she has to Show of Hands are present, and once again this disc sees Steve and Phil providing much of the instrumentation, with Steve producing the disc.

What has changed though is a new outwardly visible sense of confidence and maturity – the vocal performances and songwriting are both real step up, and on this album 11 of the 12 songs are her own compositions that show real development and growth as an artist.

This is also a darker album than her debut, the summery light feel to her songs has eased a little and there are some darker songs here, where the metaphor of the sea is used for the excellent ‘The Wreckage’; and a potential tragedy avoided on ‘Lundy Island’ which accentuates the real sense of the West County that casts a subtle light across much of her writing.

While the songs are more mature, she’s kept her strong melodic sense and all the songs here are full of memorable phrases and hooks; the arrangements of the songs are also varied and range from her own acoustic solo tracks through to full band songs with driving rhythms.

Highlights include the well constructed build-up of the title track, the beautifully arranged and sung ‘The Wreckage’, and the maturity of her writing shown in ‘Bring Me News’.
‘Brother’ is strong and instantly likeable album full of strong songs and some skilled arrangements – Jenna is certainly a young singer/songwriter with a bright future.

Track listing
1 Brother
2 Bring Me News
3 The Wreckage
4 Lundy Tide
5 Blinded
6 Entwined
7 Fellow Traveller
8 Soul Sellers
9 No Escape
10 Dawn Wave
11 Alive
12 Keep me from the Cold

£12.99