Album review Moonlit Melodies Exploring Jenny Colquitt's 'Staring at the Moon'"
Jenny Colquitt, an artist who found her during lockdown thanks to Linda, aka Voice Of A Woman who hosted her on a livestream. Since then, I have caught her multiple times across the years and am a massive fan. I wrote a review of her debut album, "Something Beautiful," which was an outstanding body of work, very fitting for my first listen of this album. I was driving down the M1 with Linda on the way to another gig, and the first track, "Bravest Of The Brave," opens the album. Within a few seconds of listening, things got very emotional in the car. What a statement track! Linda just shouts, "Fucking hell, Jenny!" We were both bawling. This opening track sets the tone for the rest of the album. During the rest of the drive between gigs, we listened to the album, and wow, it's a stunning body of work. We didn’t have enough travel time to listen to the last three tracks before Linda had to vacate the car to catch her coach.
Now, onto my review of the album. It starts off with "Bravest Of The Brave," what a stunning opening track! Every album needs a statement piece to open it, and boy, is this one starting off with the bare bones of just piano before the stunning vocals from Jenny. The amazing use of reverb creates an incredibly wide space with heavenly vocals. Just when you think the track has hit its peak, the multi-layered vocals bring it up another level. What space they have created! Softer vocals to end give massive feels. I defy you not to be in bits after this track; it's so beautiful, the bare bones of the whole track.
"No One Loves Me Like You" features lyrically the title of the album in it. The track starts straight in with the full band: synths, electric guitar, and drums before breaking down to just a little hi-hats and soft piano. "No One Loves Me Like You" - the lyrics repeated with some outstanding electric riffs before it breaks down to just the bare vocal from Jenny. Vocal runs for days, the length and notes of them are just incredible. The instrumentation in the background, combined with vocals, builds off the track all the time, taking you to another moment of pure brilliance before it's back down to Jenny's soft vocals to end the track. What a stunning second track!
"I'm Fading" is the third track and the first appearance of an acoustic guitar to kick the track off. Combined with some gentle piano playing, this one is a slightly slower track than the last one, but the incredible combination of piano and guitar, combined with stunning vocals - "And wasted, it’s hard to breathe" - leaving short stunning vocal runs - "Let me out, I’m fading! Let me out, I’m fading." Another outstanding section; both verses are repeated, but there are two different vocal runs on each section. The track is soft but somehow building the whole time, purely down to Jenny's exceptional vocal skills.
"Without You" comes next. "It’s been seventeen days, since you flew," opens it up with just the bare bones of her and the piano, but the reverb it's creating an incredibly wide space. "You heard I’ve been crying," bringing in just drums as backing. "One day I’ll turn this ship around," yet more vocal brilliance there. Now some cello/synths running around just adding yet more space and feels to this track. It's building the whole time. Every time "turn this ship around" is sung, there's another instrument added. Wow, what outstanding layering of instruments before it's back down to just vocals and piano, the way the track started, to end.
"I Won’t Let You Drive," kicking off with some stunning emotive chord progression, setting the tone for this track. Another track of just brilliance. "I want your name in lights reflecting on my face." Leading to some beautiful vocal brilliance from Jenny, the vocals are heavenly. Just when you think the last vocal section can't be topped, she brings it up another level. "And I won’t let you drive" is repeated throughout, but the vocal runs are different each time. What skill to create that emotion and thought about how to work a track, amazing.
"For a Moment," a fast-paced track, kicking off with some cello and piano and mighty reverb. Soft vocals from Jenny, "I’ve seen your eyes." I know instantly that this is going to be another one to take all the way to an outstanding space. "I’m alive, I’m alive," just the bare bones of Jenny’s vocal, super-wide reverb, adding so much raw emotion to the track. "I’m born again, no one’s listening." Drums come in, adding yet another layer. Her vocal runs are getting even more powerful, the added electric guitar taking it to a completely different space. The clever use of harmonies from herself to create space, and the short-muted harmonies, then all of a sudden, you know it's coming by the way the track is building. It's in with the backing band and power presence of Jenny's vocals to end. The chord structure, if it is the track, is superb.
"Dear Me," another slowed-down track that lets just Jenny's vocals and piano do all the talking. As usual for this album, as much as it's a slowed-down track, it's always progressing. "Oh dear me, let me in, to see the dark is over!" Leading to a beautiful section of just piano and band instrumentation, joined by acoustic guitar before it's back to the way the track started to end.
"Fallen Angels," a faster-paced track, featuring a massive choir of fans. The track opens straight in with full band backing, stunning vocal runs leading up to "Let’s not fight, let’s unite." Again, every time this is sung, there's yet another level boost in the track. It's not a boy band key change, but just another later track masterpiece. The fourth time it's repeated, that outstanding band choir comes in with some stunning vocal arrangements, still letting Jenny's vocals take the lead. What a track and build-up!
"My Design," I've heard this one live so I know what's coming. The whole build-up of this track, cello running around in the background, the added bass vocals of amazing forum, and electric creating amazing moments. "This is my design!" leading in the phenomenal build of everything, chords and instrumentation in the background, the layering of keys. "I’m the energy, I’m the energy." Pun intended, but that’s what the instrumentation in the background is doing at the moment. "This is my design!" at the end of it, what a vocal run! The whole instrumentation, perfection. Back again with multi-vocal moments and a huge run to end.
Sad Times here as it’s the final track, "Staring at the Moon." This is really something I don’t want this listening experience to end, but it's another beautifully crafted track to end the album. Jenny's vocals and the whole emotive progression of this track, "I can see the world ‘round us falling," leading into what it's just building up to, then the end of the track. It's certainly one I could see being the final track on the upcoming tour, so cleverly made for an end track and spending our days staring at the moon. Just the bare bones of vocals, what a way to end.
The whole album, "Staring at the Moon," is a musical masterpiece. The way the vocals and the story they are telling, but at the same time, the instrumentation matches it. The outstanding use of reverb to create extra-wide space in the tracks, it's never overpowering. The way that Jenny can provide multiple different vocal structures to progress the tracks along, every chorus different than the last vocally, it's mesmerizing. The way the album flows together and production is just another level.
In short, Jenny delivers a masterclass body of work. It's a timeless album that I'd rank right up there with the greatest albums of all time, a modern-day masterpiece.
The album is written by Jenny Colquitt and produced, engineered and mastered by David Gorst (Alibi Productions).
‘Staring at the Moon’ will be released 3rd May 2024.
Available on all digital platforms as well as physically via CD and Vinyl.
Jenny is on tour next month up and down the country from may head to her website for all the details she whole another level live and in person
