Jo Beth Henderson

11/28/2006

Fresh, exciting, funky, smooth, jagged, jumpy, and melodic all describe the vocal and musical expressions of Bellafeather. Jo Beth Henderson will pique your interested with her progressive jazz rock sound.

Inundare, the latest Bellafeather release, includes tracks like Sharks and Stars, All I Can Say, All It’s Done, and Rest Now. Just when you think Jo Beth has emptied her arsenal and you have experienced all her tricks she unload a taste of the hard stuff with Not About Me. All It’s Done will lull your senses with smooth piano and then funk you into disco mode. Rest Now has a smooth acoustic guitar track running through it that just won’t let your ears go. The CD is filled with the strong, commanding vocals that come from Jo Beth. It is a refreshing vocal sound.

Inundare will not let you stand still. It will keep you pumping until the last song. The Bellafeather style is ready for you. Stop by the website http://www.bellafeather.com or CD Baby, show her some love and while you’re at it pick up a CD! - Sara E. Walker, GirlAudio Productions

Jo Beth Henderson seems willing to try anything. A native of Austin, TX, she has appeared in experimental theater and cyber opera, receiving honors from the B. Iden Payne awards committee. Now, Jo Beth has ventured into the land of music making with the same open attitude. Her debut disc “Inundare” holds a cornucopia of styles, sounds, and subjects. Jo Beth, or Bellafeather, leaps from genre to genre with the greatest of ease to produce an entertaining and sometimes surprising album.

I had the pleasure of talking personally to Ms. Henderson, and she cheerfully gave me a portrait of her musical evolution. Jo Beth grew up in a “very musical family,” with her parents exposing her to everything from the Beatles to classical piano, and her brothers bringing home what she describes as “the best of the 60s and 70s” – Led Zeppelin, The Who, etc. She says that she was a little eccentric as a child, presenting book reports at school as song and dance numbers. “I thought everybody’s family was musical like mine!” Jo Beth studied classical piano through grade school and majored in opera in college; in her free time, she played guitar and bass in rock bands. As time progressed, Henderson naturally gravitated toward a performing arts career.

Jo Beth describes herself as a musical child to the 70s rock era and many songwriters including k.d. Lang and Ani DiFranco. I hear a distinct echo of Elvis Costello in her songs, particularly in the way she presents her lyrics. “Never thought that the rain looked good on me before. But, I just can't resist when petals diamond-dress like feathers!” (“Sharks ‘n’ Stars”) I have found that many lyrically creative artists tend to mask their syllables with poor diction or effects, but Henderson’s alto tells no lies; it is strong and clear and brings every word out frankly. Along with her voice, Henderson plays guitar, synth, keyboard, and hand percussion on “Inundare”.

You can tell that Jo Beth revels in her musical expeditions. Listen to the vocal harmonies in every song, all recorded by the single artist. Listen to the vocal trumpet in “All I Can Say”. Wait for the Native American style percussion at the end of “Moonlight Shining”. (Henderson carries Choctaw blood with pride!) She hasn’t just thrown her songs down, even though she could have. She has taken the time to flesh out every musical nook. Some of my favorite moments from “Inundare” are moments when I can imagine the melodies flying around Jo Beth’s head. Listen to the end of “Daydreamin’”, which she arranges for her own one-girl a cappella group!

The only thing that “Inundare” leaves me wanting is slicker production. The occasional out-of-tune note or imperfect synch, particularly in the rich vocal harmonies Henderson employs, is certainly excusable on a debut record made in three weeks on an indie budget. Jo Beth’s ambitious arrangements deserve fine-tuning, and sometimes the quality of the recording falls short of the quality of the music. That said, if you listen to “Inundare” a few times, you will befriend its imperfections and hear the music more clearly.

Jo Beth Henderson is one artist you should keep an eye on. With a second album on the way (it will hit the presses in about a month) she promises to continue bringing fun, thoughtful, and masterfully performed music. You will enjoy getting to know somebody with such a playful, fearless personality! Look for her name on marquees and playbills in the Austin area – you won’t be disappointed. For more information, visit her official website at www.bellafeather.com. - Indie In-tune: Stephanie Crosby

Catchy tunes makes this CD very easy to fall in love with. Jo Beth’s voice is captivating and well suited for radio airplay. Take a listen. You won’t be disappointed. - GoGirls

A nice hard grunge guitar and a very nice vocal by Jo Beth makes this slightly dark tune [Not About Me] rock! Very nice production and sound! - IAC: Sandman's Songbirds

"Great voice ...".
"I could actually hear this stuff on the radio".
"... [Bellafeather's] harmonies are really intelligent. I like the closeness they have. "
- SonicBids: Aaron Price

The album [Inundare], in my opinion, is a true understatement of how much more Jo Beth can do. It is rare that a voice catches my attention these days, everyone pretty much sounds the same, cookie cutter big label productions, and God forbid anyone tries to do something different. Jo Beth did. She can go from the sultry, like in the latin-influenced “All It’s Done”, to the deep rockin’ vocals of “No Lie No Lie”, in my opinion 2 of the better songs on the album.
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One of Jo Beth’s strongest suits is this amazing back up vocal harmonies she adds to all her songs, and the way she uses her voice to fill in as an instrument. I’m not talking one person in the back just singing a 5th up, or someone sounding like a kazoo. I’m talking about 3-4 (sometimes sounds like more) back up harmonies which rival some of the best. ... Joe Beth pulls this off better than any new artist I’ve heard these days. Just listen to “All I can Say” and you’ll see what I mean.
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Speaking of “All I can say” this is another one of the songs that is incredibly well written and the various syncopated parts of drums and bass really give it this freestyle jazz movement, while Jo Beth’s lyrics almost romance you like a balad would. The play between the different styles, starts, stops just really keeps your attention. Much like every other song on this album, you can feel the thought and methodotical approach to each song and it’s completeness with the various instrument and vocal parts presented. Don’t have a trumpet? No problem, sing the trumpet parts, and do them so well, you don’t even miss the trumpet section doing its little latin jazz feel fill at the end of the song. - Rob Sfeir, Dude ... Blog