Jennie Arnau: "A Rising Tide" (2025) CD Review

Jennie Arnau is a singer and songwriter originally from South Carolina and now based in New York, She released several albums between 2000 and 2010, and then took a break, at least from recording. Now she has returned with a new album, featuring all original material. Titled A Rising Tide, this album feels personal, these songs resulting from experiences and a life lived in the fifteen years since her last release. But the emotions, the needs expressed in these songs are known to all of us, regardless of how our own experiences may or may not differ. Joining her on this album are Alan Lerner (of The Zen Tricksters) on drums, Pete Levin on keyboards, Binky Griptite on electric guitar, Brett Bass on bass, Skip Ward on bass, Greg McMullen on pedal steel, Jacob Joliff (who was a member of Yonder Mountain String Band for a while) on mandolin, Mike Savino on banjo and tenor guitar, and Kendall Sherman on backing vocals. The album was produced by Phil Palazzolo and Jennie Arnau.

The album begins with "Oceans Rise."A kind of soulful vibe is created in the song's opening moment, with that cool work on keys. And then Jennie Arnau comes in on vocals: "You say you got scars/I can't see/They hold you at night/Whisper lies about me." This track contains some interesting and prominent work on electric guitar, acting almost like a response to what she is telling us. "I'm a better man in my head/Than in my heart/And every time I try/To turn this wreck around/The oceans rise up/And drag me back down." Those lines stand out, grabbing us, in part, undoubtedly, because of our own struggles, and in part because of her passionate delivery. "Oceans Rise" is followed by "Countryman." Some nice work on mandolin helps give this song a pleasant, cheerful sound at the beginning. "Scared of the sunset, scared of the dawn/But my heart needs a break/A weekend or a holiday." Oh, yes, we could all use a vacation. The song speaks of traveling this great land, something that is almost always appealing, though these days there are many places I have no interest in going because of the people who are there. And that makes me sad. This music urges joy.

Jennie Arnau changes gears with "Sail Away," which has a sadder, more contemplative sound from its start, particularly in that work on keys. This track features a good bass line and a pretty vocal performance. Interestingly this one begins with the lines "Sunset says/You're gonna be all right," when just the previous song mentioned being afraid of the sunset. But, as she then tells us, "You've got to sail away/Sail away from the past." There is a 1970s influence heard on this track. And check out these lines: "You've got to learn, you've got to learn/How to leave trouble behind/Don't you know tomorrows/Never last." That's followed by "Mabel." I'm not sure exactly why, but the first couple of lines make me smile every time I hear them: "Oh, everyone loves Mabel/Nobody loves me." This one has a sweet and soulful vibe, and features some good work on guitar. "There are storms in the desert/There are monsters in the sea/But they all fade away when I look in her eyes." I hope everyone knows exactly what she's talking about. And I love the way this song builds in joyous power toward the end.

There is a soft, pretty, innocent vibe to Jennie's vocal delivery as "Young & Alone" starts. "I move to the left/You move to the right/We think we're dancing/But there is no dancing tonight." And the softness, the innocence is in contrast to the world being described, the reality being lived. "The news on the TV is so devastating/I think I might vomit/The newscaster's fainting." And the innocence of childhood is gone from the world. The softness is from despair. This song is striking, one of the album's best. "That child is so young and alone." There is more joy then to "The King," a song with a gentle, welcoming and uplifting feel.  "Softly I cry/Please show a little kindness/Just a glimmer of light." That's followed by "Hold On." "You thought you could hold on/One more day," Jennie sings at the beginning of this one, and immediately I find myself in tears. There is a heartrending intimacy to this song. And when she repeats, "Your heart will break," we can feel it, in her voice and in ourselves. Interestingly, the song then kicks in and she repeats those opening lines. The feel of those lines is a little different, with the drums and keyboards and so on, and maybe that helps us lift ourselves from the pain and sorrow and despair. "Desperate as she slowly drifts away/And there's nothing you can do to save her." That's what is so infuriating, watching someone we love leaving and not being able to do a damn thing about it. This is one of my personal favorite songs on this album.

Then "Simple Man" seems to offer some encouragement. "I never look back," Jennie sings here. "I'd rather see the light/From the sun in the morning 'til the moon at night." There is so much beauty in this world, and so much beauty in this song. If only more people would focus on that, find the beauty without and within. This track also features some nice work on mandolin. As I get older, I find that lyrics about time passing hit me harder. Check out these lines: "In the blink of an eye/Our children will grow/Just when I get used to holding her hand/She lets go." Wow. That song ends with the line, "You will see the most wonderful things," and then "One If By Land" begins with the line, "I see you," and I can't help but connect them, and feel a sudden rush of love. "I see you/In everything/I do." Beautiful. This one also kicks in, with a glorious power to the vocals. Here she begs the universe, "Please let me be the one/To save you," and I can't help but think back to "Hold On," when she sang "And there's nothing you can do to save her." Even when we know, we still try, we still crave, we still need to have that ability. This is a powerful and moving song.

There is always something appealing about going home in song, isn't there? In "Back To Carolina," Jennie sings, "Going back to Carolina/I've been gone too long/Tried my best to love this place/But it just ain't my home." Sometimes our hearts are in two places at once, and wherever we are, something is missing. This song features an excellent bass line, and also some really good stuff on drums, in addition to another strong vocal performance. Then "Heaven In Her Eyes" is a song of finding love, but not just that; it's a song of wanting our loved ones to know that we've found love, that we are all right. "I don't need to climb another mountain/Searching for some stairway to the sky." I love the way the backing vocals build there. "Better Luck Next Time" also features some excellent vocal work, plus great stuff on pedal steel.

The beauty of "Every Raindrop" grabs us immediately, first that work on keys, and then the vocals, when they come in, repeating "Every raindrop" like a mantra. "We're all lost in the dark, yeah/We're all scared of goodbye/We all run for cover in a storm/We all need a little warmth." We have so much in common, yet there are people who dedicate their short time of existence to making other people miserable. I will never understand that. "Catch a little light in your hands." The album concludes with "Sunshine," another pretty song featuring some wonderful guitar work. "It's been a long winter/And I'm weary to the bone." In the second half of the track, there is a shift, as the drums come in, moving things in a new direction. "Gonna take my little ships/Sail far, far away."

CD Track List

1. Oceans Rise
2. Countryman
3. Sail Away
4. Mabel
5. Young & Alone
6. The King
7. Hold On
8. Simple Man
9. One If By Land
10. Back To Carolina
11. Heaven In Her Eyes
12. Better Luck Next Time
13. Every Raindrop
14. Sunshine

A Rising Tide was released on November 7, 2025.