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The Wailinâ Jennys' 'Bright Morning Star' Tackles Love, Loss

   Katherine Cole | Washington  March 08, 2011
   The Wailin' Jennys: Nicky Mehta, Ruth Moody and Heather Masse

   The Wailin' Jennys: Nicky Mehta, Ruth Moody and Heather Masse

   Some  bands are birthed after months of auditions, trying to find just
   the  right  lyricist  to  mesh  with  an incredible singer and stellar
   guitar  player.  Others  are  more of a happy accident. [1]The Wailinâ
   Jennys   fall  into  that  latter  category.  The  group  began  at  a
   one-time-only  show  in  Winnipeg,  Manitoba,  Canada. But the band is
   still going strong four CDs later.
   The  title  track  is  the  only  non-original song on the new Wailinâ
   Jennys  CD. Itâs a traditional song called âBright Morning Starsâ done
   a  cappella, or without instruments, and featuring vocals by all three
   Jennys.
   Their  name  might  be  a  takeoff  on  the  late  country star Waylon
   Jennings,  but The Wailinâ Jennys are serious about making good music.
   Their first CD, 2004âs 40 Days, earned them a Juno Award, the Canadian
   equivalent  of  the  Grammy,  while  also winning great acclaim in the
   United  States. Bright Morning Stars, is home to 12 original songs and
   is  their  first  release  since  2009. In the years between, the band
   exploded  on  the roots music scene, and their new CD hit the top spot
   of the Billboard magazine Bluegrass chart two weeks after its release.
   The Wailin' Jennys' "Bright Morning Star" CD

   Bright  Morning  Stars  is  built around The Wailinâ Jennys three part
   harmonies. If there is a theme to the disc, it might be love and loss.
   The  CD opens with âSwing Low Sail High,â featuring writer Nicky Mehta
   singing lead.
   The  Wailinâ  Jennys  Nicky  Mehta  is  described as a âtrained dancer
   raised  on  classical music.â Sheâs the Jenny who wrote âSing Low Sail
   Highâ  and  also  sang  lead  on  the track. In 2002, Nicky formed The
   Wailinâ  Jennys  with  Ruth  Moody,  a classically trained pianist and
   vocalist-turned-folk  musician.  Ruth  wrote and sings lead on four of
   the songs on âBright Morning Starsâ, including âAsleep At Last.â
   The third member of The Wailinâ Jennys is Heather Masse, the lone U.S.
   native.  She joined  in 2007, bringing with her a background in jazz.
   Like  her two band mates, Heather is also a songwriter and contributed
   four  tracks  to Bright Morning Stars, including âCherry Blossom Loveâ
   which showcases the bands harmony singing.

References

   1. http://twitter.com/thewailinjennys

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