Music
Press
"Good music keeps your attention. Great music somehow manipulates emotions in you that you otherwise wouldn’t be feeling at the moment. This is great music… If only some of our friends in the music biz would pull the band wagon over and delve into something with substance and integrity." - Dean Sternberg
"Jennifer Matthews is sassy, sexy, edgy and above all, talented! Jennifer Matthews rocked the scene with her album The Wheel !"
- Top 15 best albums of the year by Metronome Music zine in Boston.
"She's got incredible control of her voice as she wanes through octaves with impressive ability."
- Douglas Sloan
The Wheel (Thundamoon Records)
"Jennifer Matthew’s new release may well be her personal best. The Wheel definitely showcases everything you need to know about this fantastic artist; her mystic, her deep & thoughtful emotions, her talent as singer/songwriter, and last but not least, guitarist. What threads through the record is an authenticness that can’t be described. It can be heard in her hauntingly beautiful vocal style as well as the lyrics. It’s like that magical side of Stevie Nicks you fell in love with even if you hated Fleetwood Mac. Jennifer Matthews is a siren wailing her soul stories out to us; sometimes at high decibel and sometimes at a whisper. Both are contagiously beautiful..."
- April 2005 - by TC Krentz
"Her melodies are as appealing and azure as her guitar" - Richard Hill
"Jennifer’s innovative and creative style kept the audience baited on every word and pregnant pause. Jennifer’s personalised touches on the delivery and inclusion of an accappella made her really lovely to see live." - Tim Condliffe - UK Tour Nov. 2005
Jennifer Matthews " The Wheel "
"The first 3 tracks were a good sign that this project was anything but ordinary. 13 songs…and not one of them favor another. Jennifer’s vocals are premier in their category of moody, sensual and enticing vocal deliveries to become one with. Nice sound…and fantastic raw energy. "
- reviewed by Annette Warner
JENNIFER MATTHEWS – THE WHEEL: JULY/AUGUST 2005
"...driving rhythms and soaring vocals. Jennifer's music is a colorful blend of musical textures and Matthews is a passionate player..."
- Review by Laura Turner Lynch
"Singer-songwriter Jennifer Matthews has struck paydirt with her new album, The Wheel. Incredibly original and as inventive as the album’s title would imply, Matthews has a progressive bite to her songwriting that rivals that of Melissa Etheridge. In fact, Matthews’ vocals (for good or bad) sound like Etheridge on some of The Wheels more organic, emotive tracks (“Brother,” “The Wheel”).
But just when you think you’ve got Jen figured out, she throws you a curve with her wispy, childlike innocence that begs your attention (“Change, “Be Love,” “Apome”), a biting honesty that recalls Ani DiFranco (“A God He Calls Friend,” “I Believe In You”), and even the twang of the Delta (”Running Thru My Blood”)... but it doesn’t end there. Matthews is quite comfortable giving you big doses of herself too, with the progressive punch of “Digital Jargon,” the seething sweetness of “Holler Out” or the bold lash of “A Dream of You.” No matter how you slice this piece of pie, you come up with a different taste every time.
Matthews wasn’t alone in the making of this fine album. Her stellar band that features the excellent guitar work of Sal Baglio (Stompers), the solid timekeeping of drummer Rohin Khemani, the tasteful mandolin playing of Matt Glover, and the sympathetic bass lines of Noah Jarrett only add texture, color and professionalism to the proceedings making The Wheel a prime candidate for “Album of The Year” at this year’s Boston Music Awards show. Outstanding!"
Contact--www.jennifermatthews.com - Metronome Magazine
"At times as individual as PJ Harvey and Kate Bush, at times as hippie-sensual as Neil Young and Joan Osborne, Matthews covers a lot of ground. She's an appealing chameleon..." - Steve Morse
Discography
The Sunroom Sessions- Thundamoon Records (2006)
The Wheel -Thundamoon Records ( 2005)
Best Of 1996-2001
Blue in Blue out (1999)
Shot to the Wind (1998)
The Long Journey Home (1997)
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
An icon of the Boston scene, rocker and songstress Jennifer Matthews can rock like a folk punk PJ Harvey and downshift with the oblique nimble sensuality of Suzanne Vega. Her songs are missions from the frontlines of life and have been described as melodic, infectious and haunting.
Matthews studied vocal performance at the University of Colorado in Boulder and at Denver's School of Music. While in Colorado, she established herself as a solo artist, performing in local bars and coffeehouses. During this period she developed her unique vocal style and her songs gained recognition, leading to several awards from the Rocky Mountain Music Association.
After a three-month tour through Japan, Korea and Hawaii, Matthews relocated to New York where she formed the five-piece band Beautiful Mud. After a highly acclaimed debut release and performing for several years in New York City clubs, the band separated.
Jennifer moved to Boston in 1998 to embark on a solo career. She has cultivated a sophisticated blend of rock with hints of funk & blues on her electric Baritone guitar. While maintaining her strong background in rootsy rock, she slings her blue Martin, combining both instruments equally into her distinctive style.
In 2000 she released "Blue in Blue out" produced by Marc Copely. In 2002, her manager released a compilation entitled, "best of, 98 to 01".
In 2003, Jennifer was nominated for a poetry award by the Cambridge Arts Council for her book of poetry released under Somerville's Ibbetson Street Press; "Fairy Tales and Misdemeanors".
In May of 2004 Jennifer teamed up with her current manager Rose Gardina and went on to record "The Wheel” which was released in May of 2005 on Thundamoon Records (Independent). It is a 13-song record that covers a lot of territory. Produced by Brian Brown and Jennifer they took the songs to new levels by adding some electronica and loops to her roots rock sound. She followed up with a West Coast tour including performing at the San Diego Indie Music Festival.
In Aug. of 2005, Metronome Music Magazine featured Jennifer as their cover story with a full interview. Shaun McNamara writes "...Matthews and artists like Ann Wilson, Pat Benatar, Doro Pesch and Liz Phair are dissimilar in music style and sound but they all embody an ability to be recognized as straight out rockers. Not female rockers, not rock chicks, and certainly not advocates for a spotlight of women in music. They have no need for a one trick pony. They stood or stand in parallel with the likes of Kurt Cobain, Robert Plant, Neil Young and Chris Cornell, respected for their pure musicianship and charismatic presence..."
In September of 2005 "The Wheel" along with "The Long Journey Home" was signed to a publishing deal with ACM Records of NY. Oct.& Nov Jennifer toured England promoting "The Wheel" and her soon to be released self titled record. She will be back on tour in the U.K. in May of 2006. Richard Hill of BBC radio writes..."Her melodies are as appealing and azure as her guitar" And Tim Condliffe of nationalgigguide.com writes... "Jennifer's innovative and creative style kept the audience baited on every word and pregnant pause.
Metronome Music Magazine chose Jennifer's cd "The Wheel" in their Top 15 picks of the year for 2005 right along with guitar god Eric Johnson and Elvin Bishop... they wrote... "Jennifer Matthews is sassy, sexy, edgy and above all, talented! Jennifer Matthews rocked the scene with her album The Wheel !"
In Sept. 2006, her much anticipated solo recording, "The Sunroom Sessions"recorded at Sunroom Studio will be released and available for sale on the Thundamoon Record Label.
About the New Record: Jennifer takes to the studio with only a guitar & microphone to put together a quintessential set of songs which reveals that her beauty of talent truly runs deep. The girl-with-a-guitar era is just about over, but I am happy to report this CD isn’t a display of this tiring genre. Instead the listener is treated to a side of Jennifer at her most intimate & attractively simplistic. Beautifully haunting tracks like Floating and Trees in December are accompanied by the hip & catchy Lemon Peels & Tangerines making for a well-formed collection of Jennifer Matthews, possibly her very best. TC KRENTZ - BGG
Links
