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Music
Review | Jen Foster--Everybody's Girl
Written by: Kage
Alan
Album
Rating: B
I’ve been amazed at how many record companies
have approached us at Moda to review their artists. Sure, you
wouldn’t know it to look at the low number of albums we end up
listening to, but that’s because 1) I’m more involved with the DVD
reviews and trying to get those done and 2) I don’t want to get
inundated with tons of artists I’ve never heard of and then feeling
compelled to say wonderful things about their albums when I don’t
feel anything particularly positive about them. Perhaps that’s why
we’re so selective. Fortunately, we’ve been very lucky here so far
and Jen Foster’s debut is a welcome addition to our collection.
One sure way to get my attention and respect is
for the artist to have had a hand in writing, arranging and
producing the songs on their album. Jen Foster’s stamp is all over
this CD, so I was eager to dig in. Unfortunately, I was a little
worried after listening to the first two tracks, “Everybody’s Girl”
and “Used Black Cars”. While they are lyrically strong and the
music in “Used Black Cars” has a lively and classic rock dynamic to
it, the vocals (for the opening of an album) feel a little flat.
Well, while I thought I might be in a little bit of trouble at that
point, all fears vanished when “Superwoman” reached my ears. What
an incredible song! Upon listening to the album a second, third and
fourth time, I noticed that the first two songs grew on me, but they
still seem out of place starting the album off.
“In Between Poses” slows things down a bit and
remains vocally and musically rich while “Water In Your Hands”
maintains the same pace (almost ballad-like), but quickly turned
into of my favorites. “Web of Roses” is a bit folksy, “She” is
extremely catchy and will be one of those songs that listeners will
find themselves standing there and appreciating, never realizing the
depth the song is reaching for, and “Seize the Moment” nicely picks
the pace up again. It’s another one of my favorites.
“I Wanna Be Happy” maintains a nice tempo and
suggests that people should lighten up a bit, something I agree with
wholeheartedly, while “Ready To Go” is impressively melodic. Randy
Bachman of the Guess Who had a hand in writing it and the writing
styles blend quite smoothly. Slowing things down a bit is “The One
Who Got Away”, which is also followed by the impressive “Sleeping”.
There’s something about that last track that really stuck with me
and I find that I easily go back to it frequently. There’s a Guitar
Mix of “Everybody’s Girl” tacked onto the end and an unlisted track
that is worth the price of the disc alone.
The overall album is a fairly solid debut and
the songs have been inspired by events in the artist’s life, so I
know great care was taken in arranging them. If there is a weak
spot on “Everybody’s Girl”, it’s in the order of the tracks. Even
though the first two songs aren’t bland, they come off as such in
light of songs that might better have set up what was yet to come.
Also, there are too many slower tracks in a row that might have
benefited from mixing more upbeat material, thereby creating a more
balanced album. As silly as this may sound, when someone stops
listening to a CD (not having been able to go all the way through
the entire album), they tend to remember how the music made them
feel. Too many slower songs in a row tend to leave one feeling a
bit…uninspired to continue with it later. Fortunately, the rest of
the CD makes the whole experience worthwhile.
Preferring to be known as a songwriter as
opposed to what the major record companies tend to turn their
artists into, Jen Foster has the potential to go far if she can get
the recognition she deserves as well as the opportunity to continue
recording. The future looks hopeful for her. For more information,
visit Jen’s website at
www.JenFoster.com.
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