Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
There's a lot of great new music the general public never hears because the
big labels have a stranglehold on radio stations around the country. This situation is getting worse. Large corporations are taking control of the airwaves. Small labels and independent musicians can't compete since they lack the
prerequisite millions needed to publicize their work.
One young indie musician who certainly deserves a much larger audience is New
York's Jen Shankman, who has recently released her third album, Tell It Like It Is.
One is impressed by the richness of the musical arrangements on this album.
It's singer/songwriter has grown impressively following her first two releases:
1997's Jenny In A Dress and 2000's Under The Blue Umbrella.
While in the previous albums she mostly explored her acoustic-driven folk
side (to very good results), this time around she delves into a pop-driven sound
that reminds us of the kind of work done in recent works by Sheryl Crow and Jewel.
In Tell It Like It Is, Shankman shows us her best effort. Every cut on this
album satisfies. Among the best moments are Make You Mine, a rock-infused love
song. The introduction is catchy, and the clever keyboards (played by John
Deley) set a great tone for the track's lively beat, which contrast with the
ambiguous uncertainty of the "I" character in the words: I come home every night to the same conclusion/I'll give it a try for one more day/I've never been very patient until now/This time I know I can't afford to save my face/The way you walk is getting me by/the way you talk is making me high/I'm gonna make you
mine.
The most touching song on the album is the soft,sad "Caught Off Guard", about a love affair that has obviously gone south but hasn't yet broken apart, unsure of things to come: Now you want to say something/ but I hit the pavement running hard/I run to move your lips to make them half this kiss but/it's not that easy with you...
"Tell It Like It Is" is one of the best pop albums I've heard this year. Jen Shankman, a fine artist, awaits discovery by each person of taste.
- Greenwich Village Gazette, NYC
Discography
"Tell It Like It Is" (2003)
"Under the Blue Umbrella" (2000)
"Jenny In A Dress" (1997)
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Armed with her guitar and a voice that rings out from the caverns of her soul, Jen Shankman will keep you on the edge of your seat. At a mere 5’1”, when this New Yorker takes the stage, she is anything but small. With the right combination of bare-boned honesty, carefully-crafted melodies and a wry sense of humor, Jen is a force to be reckoned with, a performer who has truly learned to stand on her convictions.
With the release of her third CD, “Tell It Like It Is,” (produced by Mike Daly, formerly of the band Whiskeytown), Jen once again extends an open invitation into her world of intertwining relationships and self-discoveries, each in the form of a pop tune guaranteed to keep you humming it’s melody long after the CD has ended.
Having been raised in and around New York City, Jen learned to draw on the highs and lows of both city living and human relationships--catching glimpses of stranger’s lives and writing stories, and always drawing on her own experience.
Jen has won fans and left a lasting impression at clubs and colleges across the United States. Her most notable performance spaces include Madison Square Garden and The MCI Center. Jen has had the distinct honor of playing guitar for Joan Osborne and has shared the stage with such notable talents as Ani DiFranco, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Patty Griffin, Kay Hanley (Letters to Cleo), Ellis Paul and Jonatha Brooke. She was a finalist in the Lilith Fair Talent Search, and a winner in the Musician’s Guide Independent Music Awards. Jen has also appeared on the Oxygen Network and performed at V-Day 2001 at Madison Square Garden. With her third CD under her belt and a track on the new Wondermore Records compilation of the “best and the brightest,” Jen has once again proven herself as both a gifted writer and a powerhouse performer. One little girl, one big voice, just listen.
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