Monday, April 13, 2009
JENNIE DEVOE TO RELEASE BRAND-NEW ALBUM, STRANGE SUNSHINE, ON JULY 21ST
INDIANAPOLIS-BASED SOUL SINGER-SONGWRITER’S FOURTH INDEPENDENTLY RELEASED ALBUM PRODUCED BY PJ HARVEY COLLABORATOR JOHN PARISH
April 13th, 2009 — New York, NY — Soul-blues singer and songwriter Jennie DeVoe will release her fourth independent album, entitled Strange Sunshine, on July 21st. A digital version will be available via such online retailers as iTunes, while a physical CD, released though DeVoe’s own label Rubin The Cat, will be distributed by Sony Red Distribution, the independent arm of Sony Music. The CD’s first single Butterfly will go to “Triple A” radio on June 1st.
Anchored by her powerhouse, gospel-inflected voice, DeVoe’s music has an earthy charm that is totally without artifice. She makes a stirring soulful statement on Strange Sunshine, which — though inspired by the raw emotional quality of such legends as Janis Joplin, Aretha Franklin, and Etta James — sounds thoroughly Jennie, with its freewheeling spirit, sassy, confessional lyrics, and sultry retro grooves. Musically narrated by tremolo guitar, snatches of Mellotron and Hammond B3 organ, and retro-sounding drums, the songs address everything from seizing the day (first single “Butterfly”), love on the rocks (“Strange Sunshine”), having crappy days (“Nobody Loves You”), getting lost with no directions on the road (“Exit 229”), living in a man’s world (“No Damn Man”), devastating heartbreak (“I Break Down”), the rollercoaster of relationships (“Map of the World”), and feeling broken-down but still having hope (“Blind Faith”).
“My subject matter is fairly reality-based,” DeVoe says, “which is what I've always loved about records by Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Billie Holiday, and Otis Redding. They’re just singing about life. I tend to keep one foot in the old school world of soul while always searching for new inspirations. I wanted Strange Sunshine to feel free and loose and be steeped in emotion. That’s what I crave when I listen to music and that’s what I strive for on each of my albums.”
To help her realize her vision, DeVoe flew herself and her band to Bath, England, to record with John Parish, a British producer and multi-instrumentalist known for his work with PJ Harvey, Tracy Chapman, and The Eels. He also produced DeVoe’s well-received 2004 album Fireworks & Karate Supplies. “There’s something about John’s work that I feel is brave, fresh, raw, and sincere,” DeVoe says. “The albums he’s produced, like Polly Harvey’s To Bring You My Love and Tracy Chapman’s Let It Rain, are moody and make you feel like what you’re hearing from the artist is intentional and truly emotional. That’s how I wanted Fireworks to sound. But that album is a bit heavier in mood than this new one. Sunshine has more freedom and lightness in its step, and more light-heartedness and simplicity in the lyrics. John is a true minimalist, like me, and as a musician, he knows the language of each instrument. He kept the sessions grounded.”
Strange Sunshine is sure to delight DeVoe’s longtime fans, who’ve followed her every move since the Indianapolis-based artist released her first album, Does She Walk on Water in 1998. She followed that up in 2000 with Ta Da and won first place in a Billboard World Song contest for “Best Pop Song” in 2004. Her songs caught the ear of a music supervisor with Sony/Columbia/Tri-Star, who placed them in such shows as Dawson’s Creek, Joan of Arcadia, and Strong Medicine. In 2004, DeVoe released Fireworks & Karate Supplies, which earned strong reviews, regional radio play, and sold more than 15,000 copies to fans captivated by DeVoe’s engaging live performances. Over the years, she’s performed all over the country and opened for such artists as Sting, Bonnie Raitt, Lyle Lovett, Joe Cocker, Lucinda Williams, Jack Johnson, Susan Tedeschi, Ray Charles, Emmylou Harris, Dar Williams, Gavin DeGraw, Blues Traveler, and Edwin McCain. As McCain himself has put it: “The only difference between Jennie DeVoe and a big-label artist is corporate dollars.”
Discover that for yourself when Strange Sunshine is released this summer. For more on Jennie DeVoe, please visit her website at www.jenniedevoe.com.
INDIANAPOLIS-BASED SOUL SINGER-SONGWRITER’S FOURTH INDEPENDENTLY RELEASED ALBUM PRODUCED BY PJ HARVEY COLLABORATOR JOHN PARISH
April 13th, 2009 — New York, NY — Soul-blues singer and songwriter Jennie DeVoe will release her fourth independent album, entitled Strange Sunshine, on July 21st. A digital version will be available via such online retailers as iTunes, while a physical CD, released though DeVoe’s own label Rubin The Cat, will be distributed by Sony Red Distribution, the independent arm of Sony Music. The CD’s first single Butterfly will go to “Triple A” radio on June 1st.
Anchored by her powerhouse, gospel-inflected voice, DeVoe’s music has an earthy charm that is totally without artifice. She makes a stirring soulful statement on Strange Sunshine, which — though inspired by the raw emotional quality of such legends as Janis Joplin, Aretha Franklin, and Etta James — sounds thoroughly Jennie, with its freewheeling spirit, sassy, confessional lyrics, and sultry retro grooves. Musically narrated by tremolo guitar, snatches of Mellotron and Hammond B3 organ, and retro-sounding drums, the songs address everything from seizing the day (first single “Butterfly”), love on the rocks (“Strange Sunshine”), having crappy days (“Nobody Loves You”), getting lost with no directions on the road (“Exit 229”), living in a man’s world (“No Damn Man”), devastating heartbreak (“I Break Down”), the rollercoaster of relationships (“Map of the World”), and feeling broken-down but still having hope (“Blind Faith”).
“My subject matter is fairly reality-based,” DeVoe says, “which is what I've always loved about records by Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Billie Holiday, and Otis Redding. They’re just singing about life. I tend to keep one foot in the old school world of soul while always searching for new inspirations. I wanted Strange Sunshine to feel free and loose and be steeped in emotion. That’s what I crave when I listen to music and that’s what I strive for on each of my albums.”
To help her realize her vision, DeVoe flew herself and her band to Bath, England, to record with John Parish, a British producer and multi-instrumentalist known for his work with PJ Harvey, Tracy Chapman, and The Eels. He also produced DeVoe’s well-received 2004 album Fireworks & Karate Supplies. “There’s something about John’s work that I feel is brave, fresh, raw, and sincere,” DeVoe says. “The albums he’s produced, like Polly Harvey’s To Bring You My Love and Tracy Chapman’s Let It Rain, are moody and make you feel like what you’re hearing from the artist is intentional and truly emotional. That’s how I wanted Fireworks to sound. But that album is a bit heavier in mood than this new one. Sunshine has more freedom and lightness in its step, and more light-heartedness and simplicity in the lyrics. John is a true minimalist, like me, and as a musician, he knows the language of each instrument. He kept the sessions grounded.”
Strange Sunshine is sure to delight DeVoe’s longtime fans, who’ve followed her every move since the Indianapolis-based artist released her first album, Does She Walk on Water in 1998. She followed that up in 2000 with Ta Da and won first place in a Billboard World Song contest for “Best Pop Song” in 2004. Her songs caught the ear of a music supervisor with Sony/Columbia/Tri-Star, who placed them in such shows as Dawson’s Creek, Joan of Arcadia, and Strong Medicine. In 2004, DeVoe released Fireworks & Karate Supplies, which earned strong reviews, regional radio play, and sold more than 15,000 copies to fans captivated by DeVoe’s engaging live performances. Over the years, she’s performed all over the country and opened for such artists as Sting, Bonnie Raitt, Lyle Lovett, Joe Cocker, Lucinda Williams, Jack Johnson, Susan Tedeschi, Ray Charles, Emmylou Harris, Dar Williams, Gavin DeGraw, Blues Traveler, and Edwin McCain. As McCain himself has put it: “The only difference between Jennie DeVoe and a big-label artist is corporate dollars.”
Discover that for yourself when Strange Sunshine is released this summer. For more on Jennie DeVoe, please visit her website at www.jenniedevoe.com.
posted by Chicago Music Guide # 12:43 PM 
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