cotton jenny

Depending on the song, Cotton Jenny's spare, lo-fi take on sleepy jazz-rock can sound like a moody, country dirge. Or, it can sound like a stripped-down folk band, incorporating country guitar and lead singer Jennifer Fousts raw, Beth Orton-like vocals to create skeletal, brooding atmospheric tunes. KARLA STARR. - WW, Portland, OR

A spit shine of grit isn't achieved by accident, and neither is it proof of inability; often, it is an attainment of craft, this raw yet magnetic sense of songwriting. Portland Oregon's Cotton Jenny is a five piece ensemble with tough feminine qualities so steeped in the brash mythos of early PJ Harvey, and their self-titled and self-produced album can be referred to as nothing short of a rarely accomplished creative balancing act.
The fulcrum of this wheel is undoubtedly Jennifer Foust, the front woman singer/songwriter with her extraordinary sensuality on display. She seems to pine for something loping and haunted in "Hello Moon" and something as simple as a rainy day in "Saccharin." On first listen she's a husky sprite, with wearied longings like Joni Mitchell; the second listen, well, it's harder to tell from where she derives her muse. Clear from the first tone however, is the monumental challenge in turning Foust and her penchant for tales off - or down for that matter.

The image of the rest of Cotton Jenny as window dressing is faulty. Sonically, songs like "Black Josie" and "Gershwin's Dream" are enchanting for all seasons, pointed by Josh Boyd's seemingly Faustian deal with the dark sampling arts. The album tends to lean a little too heavily on those exploits in places, but overall Cotton Jenny is a subtle effort worthy of repeated listens. - www.cosmik.com

Cotton Jenny has all the elements of a jazz band, yet the overall effect is entirely different. Lead singer Jennifer Foust's swooning voice brings to mind visions of swirling smoke, a hypnotically smooth coating for the prominent cymbals, country-inspired guitar, and jazzy bass lines that form most of the songs. Not for the easily dicouraged, the chameleon-like Cotton Jenny will have music aficionados humming a different tune. - The Oregonian, 2005

Surprisingly, singer-songwriter Jennifer Foust is not the absolute power behind Cotton Jenny..The languid, intricate soundscapes enveloping her romantic yearnings lean heavily on the talents of her [quartet]-jazz-flecked guitar, martial drums, [and] bass. - The Willamette Week

The music they make is a sultry mix of hushed, somewhat jazzy guitar lines, shuffling cymbals, and contemplative lyrics...Foust's voice has a dark, heavy-lidded quality, imbuing lines...with a calculated calm that's as unsetting as it is intriguing. If there's any justice in this world, this self-recorded debut ep should set them firmly on the path to indie stardom - OEBase

Cotton Jenny..plays an exotic style of music that can pose a bit of a challenge if you're looking only for tightly constructed, easily digestible tunes. But the new Portland band doesn't seem to be aiming for traditional melodicism. Their songs are a stream-of-consciousness melange of dirge-like guitar, drums,...and the captivating voice of singer Jennifer Foust, who sounds as if she's in a blissful trance. - The Oregonian