jenn london

"J. London Imports is a one-woman operation" - Billboard

Rude girls of rock ‘n roll have to strike a tricky balance between the aggressive impudence of the quintessential rock star and the candyshop sensuality of a typical female celebrity. Jenn London’s new EP reminds one of a rude girl trying on a diva’s dress. Her sweet-and-sour voice sneers and snaps its way through sarcastic verses, then peps up suddenly in each chorus to deliver a catchy hook. In the choruses especially her voice has a pert, cute tone that contrasts surprisingly with her sharp-tongued delivery: you tilt your head as you listen. Previous recordings hid her vocals in a jumble of effects; she seemed to be singing from the corner of a room full of synthesizers. The production on this effort is straight-up rock, with London’s babydoll-on-a-rampage voice set squarely in the center of the stage--an arrangement that should appeal to those who like a seasoning of rude girl aggression with their daily pop hook. - WomanRock.com

"In my head I'm saying, why can't female acoustic-driven songs be rock, just like it is for men?" asks singer-songwriter-entrepreneur Jenn London via e-mail from New York. Check her head on Wednesday at the Capitol Lounge. She has rarely performed in the Washington area aside from Courtney Totushek's open-mike nights at Dr. Dremo in Arlington, though the non-folkie Miss London is such a tireless marketer that last year she moderated the "Perseverance Panel" at the Global Entertainment Summit.
On her first album, 2001's "Crazy Thoughts" (J. London Imports) her impressive voice creates mood far better than do her words and band. There's a bit too much self-pity here, though on "I'm So Good" she shows a knack for short, petulant couplets. The acoustic songs tend to work better, which works out well since she currently tours solo.
"Never Thought" features a clipped, Alanis Morrissette voice; even better are the fragile, pretty vocals on the torch song "I Want Love." A ticktock rhythm creates a creepy paranoid mood on the title track, as does her on-the-brink delivery of lines like "surrendering to him would let the serpents circle round."
Best of all is the sexy and diva-esque synth-pop "Blood and Tears," with its pretty, aching chorus and taunt of "I want to tease you/to think that I don't own you." The opening line "I, I want to own you" will lure the women onto the dance floor but the "matrimony" line may scare the men off it.
"They usually start as autobiographical pieces but usually hit extremes that I didn't feel," says Miss London of her songs. "I do get a lot of Alanis comparisons," she says, but adds that Miss Morrisette "was coming from a more angry perspective" as opposed to Miss London's "hurt-while-trying-to-stay-positive one."
Expect some newer "dark but optimistic" songs at the Lounge show as well. With a double album's worth of material written, Miss London is now finishing a new EP "Beautiful Sorrow" with Los Angeles producer Duane Baron (Ozzy Osbourne, Tracy Chapman), with what she thinks are a couple of "potential radio singles."
She will, of course, market them herself. - Washington Times

"jenn london is a superb singer songwriter who weaves hypnotic melodies around captivating lyrics. She'll undoubtedly draw comparisons to such acclaimed female artists as Bree Sharp, Aimee Mann, Juliana Hatfield, and Kristin Hersch, among others. Her cool blend of folk, rock, pop, and alternative is a welcome breath of fresh air." Tom Semioli VH-1 Online - VHI-Online