For her vocal debut, Scheinman sings with raw self-assurance. She knows the songs. She owns the songs. The songs are strong, like Mississippi John Hurt’s “Miss Collins” or “Twilight Time.” There’s a lot to love about Jenny Scheinman, that’s for sure.
The recording unfolds as naturally as one could hope for. With some songs recorded live as first takes with bleed and no overdubs or fixes, the album is straight from the heart. Other songs are smaller and acoustic, like the original piece “Newspaper Angels.” This intimacy helps draw the rougher stuff in even closer, giving the listener a complete picture of Jenny Scheinman as an artist and as a woman with a hell of a story to tell.
As the wind blows through the trees in the backyard, I can tell you that this album has been a journey. It’s been a trip through the imagination of Jenny Scheinman, complete with banged-up pickup, greasy spoon diner, and plenty of open road. As the album comes to a close with a Tom Waits number, I can’t help but smile.
Scheinman’s songcraft on her self-titled vocal debut is faultless. It’s unrefined, poignant, bona fide, and honest. There’s that word again: honest. Whether she’s honouring Bob Dylan, Lucinda Williams, or doing a Little Richard impression, Scheinman is always bold and always exciting. Back-to-back, Crossing the Field and Jenny Scheinman make for an extraordinary voyage through the melodic mind of one of music’s most remarkable and gripping artists.Crossing the Field and Jenny Scheinman are available on May 27th from KOCH Records.
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