Jenna Nicholls - Radio Parade
The music of multi-instrumentalist Jenna Nicholls has been turning heads since she arrived on the door step of the Lower East Side of NY. Whether she’s crooning a jazz standard, belting out a New Orleans dirge or plucking her 1920’s style original ballads on her ukulele, she’s giving a vintage genre a new spin with her own lush nostalgic style.Recently, Jenna has toured with Ingrid Michaelson, shared the stage with Oscar Winner Glen Hansard, Amanda Palmer, Lucius, and Joan as Policewoman. She released her latest project "Radio Parade" in 2018. Jenna has performed in venues all across the country including The Beacon Theater and Carnegie Hall.
Her latest album is called Radio Parade. It's a collection of seven well -crafted songs, each dealing with different topic but that unmistakable vintage feel remains. Everything starts with delightfully funny Piggy
Sweet Talkin' Ladies Man deals with that seemingly familiar situation of a man luring a woman into his spells and making her do what he wants. Lyrically it also contains a warning " too much sweet can make you ill" which can be interpreted in various ways, one of them being that of not being so trusting to anyone who shows you affection or attention because you never know what's hidden behind it.
Picket Fence clearly demonstrates Nicholls'ability not only as a skilled musician but her range is shown in a stunning fashion.
Home is one of the more serious songs about a relationship that's headed for a separation and perhaps a divorce and the couple being forced to split their belongings. The slow melody carries all the weight of the situation in itself, the gentle tinkling of the keys doesn't ease it though. It's a quite an atmospheric track as well and you can clearly see the rain pouring down while this is happening.
Millionaire eases all the tension you might feel from the previous songs. It's probably the most cheerful song on the album with a strong country feel that makes your feet tap or perhaps dance along. And you feel like being in the heart of the Wild West.
Do you feel like escaping to a different, perhaps calmer time? You don't need a time machine. Just listen to this album.