The EP opens with its title
track, “Smoky Nights,” a sexy, late-night jazzy gem, Jennifer Saran’s voice having
a sultry quality. “I turn down the
lights/You’re still fooling me/Smoky nights.” And the way those horns rise
up from the darkness is fantastic. This track features some good work on keys
as well. The whole thing works like a spell gliding around us, gathering us in,
enchanting us. “Wrap your arms around me/'til
your charm surrounds me/Hold me forever more/Smoky nights.” That’s followed
by “Love Is Now Gone.” This one too seems to be emerging from a dark,
mysterious place, the keys pushing open the door and tempting us inside, the
saxophone offering little observations and glimpses into this world. Of course,
it is Jennifer’s voice that is queen of this land, gorgeous and strong and
commanding. Her voice gathers all around her, and she tells us her woeful tale.
“Love is now gone/All happiness, I
see/Will no longer be/Plans we made/The music we played/Where did it go?” Her
voice grabs hold of us, seemingly without effort, pulling us into the darkness,
or perhaps making us aware of the darkness already surrounding us. “Loneliness always comes/Everyone’s life’s
undone/Love cannot survive/With stories or lies/You know what you’ve done.”
“Let The Waves Wash Over” is a somewhat
more energetic number, mostly because of its rhythm. Yet it touches on a
serious subject: rape. It was written after the Brett Kavanaugh hearings, when
people like Susan Collins and Jeff Flake voted to confirm a rapist to the
Supreme Court. It opens with these lines: “I
fought him off/I cried out and no one came/I live with the shame.” Yet this
song has an empowering and positive message: “It is time for a change/Vote them out in my name/Let the waves wash
over me/No more time should go by/Daughters, sisters and wives/Let the waves
wash over me.” Let’s hope that every last person that voted to confirm
Brett Kavanaugh is removed from office through the voting process. “Let The
Waves Wash Over Me” is followed by “Don’t Forget My Name,” which has a pretty
sound. “Have you loved me for the last
time?/I cannot see, I cannot see/Have you touched me for the last time?/It
cannot be, it cannot be.” Those short instrumental sections are powerful,
and the track builds wonderfully.
The EP concludes with “Get Over
Yourself,” which, though recorded in the studio, has the feel of a live track,
with some background sounds as it opens. It begins with a groovy bass line, and
once that is established, Jennifer’s vocals come in, followed soon by the rest
of the band. This is a seriously cool tune, in part because of the bass. Plus,
I’m glad to hear a jazz singer taking on that mendacious criminal in the White
House and the entire corrupt Republican Party. “Give me a break/I know you can tell/What you’re saying is fake/Get over
yourself.” The track then bursts open in the second half, and sounds
fantastic. This is such a good tune. “From
the president on down/Y’all screwing up/Y’all screwing up everything.”
Indeed.
CD Track List
- Smoky Nights
- Love Is Now Gone
- Let The Waves Wash Over
- Don’t Forget My Name
- Get Over Yourself
Smoky Nights was released on September 20, 2019 on Tarpan Records.
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