2014-05-05
Jenny Scheinman's career began as a jazz
violinist and has, over her past seven studio albums, grown into the career of
critically-hailed singer, violinist, composer and arranger. Her first album, Live at Yoshi's, was released in 2000
and established Scheinman's skill as a violinist. By 2008, NPR called Scheinman
"one of New York's most in-demand violinsts," and she had backed up Aretha
Franklin, Norah Jones, Bono and many others, including an estimated 200 studio
sessions and club dates in that past year. Scheinman released Crossing the Field, an instrumental
album, and Jenny Scheinman, the first
album to feature her vocals, in 2008. Her self-titled album was received well
by fans and was followed by Mischief
& Mayhem in 2012. And now, The
Littlest Prisoner is set to be released May 6, 2014. Grammy-nominated
producer Tucker Martine (The Decemberists, Neko Case, My Morning Jacket, Sufjan
Stevens) mixed the album, which was recorded in three days of studio straking
in Martine's Flora Studio in Portland, Oregon. The lyric-filled album is broken
up by three, short instrumental songs, on which Scheinman explores folk,
Americana sounds. Heavy lyrics about love from varied perspectives and varying
depth are often held together by an upbeat band sound. "Run, Run, Run" is a
quick paced look at love from a mother's perspective. The title-track, "The
Littlest Prisoner," is sung from prison, waiting for a daughter to be born.
- Richard Martin
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