Saturday, November 22, 2014

Jane St. Clair Is A Promising Up And Comer

By Ida Dorsey


Released in 2007, "Stories" is a poignant album. It was released by the American musician, Jane St. Clair. She composes her own melodies and writes the lyrics in addition to playing acoustic guitar and singing her words on these songs. Her discs are available via CD Baby, Inc, the Internet music store specializing in the marketing of work by independent performers.

Jane is based in California, USA. The tunes she fashions are a fusion of atmospherics and lyricism, fabricating a sound which should appeal to people who enjoy adult contemporary rock, jazz and jazz-pop. Anyone who likes the musical styles of Diana Krall, Steely Dan or Feist could well appreciate this gifted artist too.

Inspirations that are revealed in this youthful woman's repertoire embrace James Taylor, Sting and Burt Bacharach. Jane has furthermore been understood to feel the influence of stars such as Carole King, Stevie Wonder and Joni Mitchell. The words bring to light a zeal for story-telling and free verse in the manner of Todd Rundgren, Carlos Jobim and Tom Waits.

An upbringing that starts with an education in writing from the University of North Carolina is unmistakable in the eminence of language evident in Jane's refrains. Following Chapel Hill, Jane went to Boston to study composition at the Berklee College of Music. She broadened her musical instruction at CalArts, benefiting from tutors such as James Newton, Jon Bergamo, Paul Novros and David Roitstein.

There are various exceptional collaborators involved with "Stories", especially Ken Lasaine who assisted with the composition of the emotive song "Shower Into Gray" (devoted to people murdered in the catastrophic attack of 9/11), and also performs on E-Bow, classical and electric guitars. Other distinguished instrumentalists on this LP include Nedra Wheeler (on upright bass), Paul Litteral (horns & trumpet), Alan Pasqua (keyboards), Michael Manning (fretless bass) and Danny Frankel (percussion & drums). These artistes have made records and been on tour with eminent performers with the stature of kd lang, Bob Dylan, James Brown, Ray Charles, the B-52s and Santana.

Reviewers of "Stories" refer to the passionate efficiency, graceful smoothness of voice and lilting vocals. People talk of the songs as being poetry set to music. Originality and uniqueness are features often attributed to St. Clair's material. The overall package delivers a well-defined, distinctive quality which stirs the soul.

The distinctiveness is advanced by the skills of Dan Garcia who mixed and engineered the LP over and above providing additional trumpet, percussion and guitar plus final vocals. Jane's deep foundation in prose and musical education has permitted her to construct heartfelt ballads combining Brazilian grooves, jazz influences, intelligent phrasings and intuitive instrumentation. The addition of an evocative, endearing and supple voice into this mix creates a clear-cut recipe for hit records.

Whether you want to find the soulful music she creates, or many other genres from World music to Avant Garde, CD Baby is an excellent source. Recordings start from only $5 and one can also acquire vinyl here. Many aspiring bands and up-and-coming artists start out by marketing their material on the web.




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