Jenny Wilson knows Hardships!
By Nick Manteris · 0 Comments · Leave a Comment
The second album from Swedish singer-songwriter Jenny Wilson doesn’t sound quite as upbeat and pop-like as her debut album Love and Youth. Aside from the deeper, soulful new sound, another key difference is that she now has a backing band instead of playing every instrument herself. Plus, this album is about the hardships of motherhood rather than love and youth.
The harmonies in the songs on Hardships! are accessible enough, but the songs are also deeply layered with nuances that may require headphones to fully appreciate. Jenny Wilson’s MySpace page claims that her music is “R&B / Experimental,” but this stuff doesn’t sound much like R&B, so the emphasis must be on the “experimental.” A third of the experiments on this album could have been discarded, but the rest are pretty good. “Clattering Hooves,” “Anchor Made of Gold” and “Bad Waters,” however, are the best of the bunch.
- Score
- 55%
Even if they aren’t all great, writing thirteen songs is an achievement, but it is more impressive that Jenny Wilson has once again handled all of the duties on this release…recording and producing Hardships! on her own record label, Gold Medal Recordings. Visit JennyWilson.net and try the live video for “Wooden Chairs” (recorded in an Oslo “carpentery”) for a really fun introduction to her sound. And, after that, if you aren’t interested in hearing more then maybe experimental R&B just isn’t your thing.
