Dreamy debut from a female singer with tons of talent. Recorded in a home studio in Iowa it's a refreshing alternative to most over produced divas out there. 4/5 Stars
It was predicted - for what it is worth - the other day that women would possess 60 per cent of everything in the not too distant future. Will it be the case with music? Although the ‘gentler gender’ has been oppressed by the industrial demands to conform to stereotype of pretty-and-sexy, the true female individuals in the showbiz are as rare as genuine heroes amidst the male counter-contingent.
Jen Gloeckner emerges from a home studio in Dubuque, Iowa, a place as exciting as it sounds [if you know how to pronounce it] to produce an album that is so out-there, it has no nationality. One thing is for sure, this is an album only a female could make for the simple reason that there is more space to explore than the influence-bogged masculine department.
For most part sparsely orchestrated, it is an intimate affair, a troubadour-ette singing in the privacy of your solitude. Alike in literature, it feels like there is a direct connection between you and the auteuress, no distractions in this holy communion of settings, emotions, imagery. The album reflects the huge, non-light polluted, night sky and the vast horizon seen during the daylight hours…
Jen Gloeckner’s voice is a strong instrument she alternately uses for almost casual, observational delivery and to heartbreaking effect. When piano and string unite toward the end of ‘Seven Maids’, you are transported into a heaven’s anteroom marked ‘Spellbind chamber’. ‘Nothing Personal’ is as huge as a field of dreams, the ‘Only 1’’s outlook as wide-open as oceans’ vistas.
Tempos throughout the record are mid-to-slow - even the most buoyant, ethnic/near-tribal sounding ‘Clear The Sand’ [flute makes it a warped-cousin to an [unlikely] collaboration of Peter Gabriel and Jethro Tull] is restrained in sexualising the vibe, as is the other upbeat track here, ‘Spinning Heads’. Despite it, the overall feel is strangely not melancholic, more like inquisitive, exploratory, novice-like takes on love, life and [nearly] everything.
‘Miles Away’ is appropriate title because she grew up in isolation and hasn’t been contaminated by sonic trends; Jen is a free spirit that draws on the eternal inspiration of Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Tom Waits, Cap. Beefheart… Nothing is sacred and plenty of genres get addressed, from jazz-loungey ‘Glimpse’ with divine saxophone of Bill Rucci is a song to make you, depending on the personal liberty, fall in love or commit adultery, to the sonically adventurous spirit of ‘Prodigal Son’, to the hypnotic-notes rich ‘Mountains’!
‘Seven Maids’ is picked for a single and it is so untypical of the rest of the material that the album will knock off/down everyone’s expectations! Ms Gloeckner will never be groomed to be J-Glo because she proudly stands on the shoulders of giants like Joan Baez, Patti Smith, Tori Amos, Cat Power… We need more female artisans of this 28-year-old bi-racial’s ilk! The album is like ‘kiss-it-better’ medication - it doesn‘t heal but certainly helps!
Jen Gloeckner cult is officially opened for business. She deserves much more!
It is impossible to ignore the aural depth of Jen Gloeckner’s earth music, calming even the most eclectic compositions with tranquility and warmth.
This isn’t all backpacks and granola—Miles Away is a solid effort from a Midwesterner with a flare for blending the ethereal with the organic. Soft acoustic guitars lay their chords down over the terrain of strings, thumped beats, and layered vocals, while smooth and simple harmonies make up for lyrics often too generic to be memorable. Captivating live audiences around the country with her rich and versatile voice, Gloeckner uses the recording room to open up her range in a wide array of styles as she moves from the more folksy title track through to the final blues sway of “Wasting Time.” Whether it is the Middle Eastern–influenced rolls of “Clear the Sand” or the way “Hazy Sky” moves eloquently into chorus, each song produces an understated balance of shape and seduction largely missed these days from the Patty Larkins or Ani Di Francos.
Jen Gloeckner hails from Dubuque, Iowa and 'Miles Away' is her debut CD
release.
That Jen is not signed to a major label is nothing short of criminal. She
is brimming with talent both as a song-writer and as a singer/musician.
All 15 tracks on 'Miles Away' calmly display a mature and self-assured
approach as Jen explores folk, jazz, pop, ambient, electronica and more.
Despite the variety of styles on offer, there is nothing contrived or
awkward in the arrangements due largely to Jen's versatile vocals that
blend skilfully within whatever styles she effortlessly draws into her
songs.
The album is primarily acoustic based but for every track built around
voice and guitar there is a track that uses either full band or allows
another instrument to take centre stage. Thematically 'Miles Away' is a
warm, late-night slow-burner stoked with a woody and natural glow that is
utterly beguiling. Nothing is hurried and a significant part of the album'
s charm is the feeling that Jen is doing everything she wants at her own
pace without ever straying into over-indulgence or art for art's sake.
There is a song-writer's discipline underpinning the subtle
experimentation within.
It's difficult to pick highlights from such a promising collection. Title
track and opener 'Miles Away' is a folk number built around a simple
semi-acoustic guitar laced with pretty piano flourishes and Jen's
plaintive voice, calling across the music "like the wind". 'Remember When'
is an intimate folk-poem with just Jen and acoustic guitar and the lovely
chorus of "I cherish everything, everything, even me". Just when you feel
you know where she is heading with her music, the arrangements begin to
change and before you know it tracks such as 'Nothing Personal' and 'Only
1' ditch the folk/roots and the guitar for dreamy and woozy electronic
music, the latter effectively utilising a multi-layering effect of Jen's
voice. 'Glimpse' is a jazz-blues piece with strong piano chords and
sonorous saxophone, reminding me of 'The Kick Inside' era Kate Bush.
'Clear The Sand' stirs the pot with ethnic rhythms and piercing flute from
way beyond Iowa. The highpoint of the musical journey must be 'Mountains',
a mainly instrumental track that seems to fuse all of Jen's previous
genre-hopping.
Aside from Kate Bush, there are touches of Stevie Nicks, Kristen Hersh and
Tracy Chapman, but it would be doing Jen a serious disservice to overstate
these influences, such is the strength of her musical individuality and
the uniqueness of her own singing. Her skill in using her voice to capture
the atmosphere and sentiment of each song is staggering. Compare the
independent and forceful nature of her voice on 'Remember When' and 'Glue'
with its bewitching quality on 'Nothing Personal', its hushed and humming
caress on 'Spinning Heads' or its laid-back warmth on 'Otherside'.
Atmospheric, at times surreal, never obvious but also never impenetrable,
sometimes strange, occasionally dark but always offering comfort and
forever rewarding repeated play, this debut album is the sound of a major
talent who must be discovered and who should be reaching the ears of many
far beyond Dubuque, Iowa.
