It was a long and winding road that took Jen Elliott to the debut of her new CD, THE SECRET'S OUT. Jen was nurtured in exotic Jacksonville, Florida where as a young child she fed off of PB & J, church hymns, and violin lessons. She performed in various musicals throughout high school and college...and, yes, she won the high school talent show. Singing has always been her sanity, her way of making the world make sense. But the realities of the world as she knew it made a life in music seem a dream, lovely but remote. But after all, sanity, in whatever form, is such a rare quality you have to follow it where you can find it.
Inspired and determined, after a pivotal post-college jaunt around Europe, to find out exactly who she was and where she was going, Jen came back to Jacksonville and began singing her original material at an open mic night in Jacksonville Beach – No accompaniment, just standing on stage belting out her private thoughts and feelings a cappella. After that, she decided quickly that New York needed her, whether or not it knew this, and she moved to Manhattan.
In the meantime, recordings of some of her Jacksonville Beach a cappella performances came into the hands of Trebor Lloyd, executive producer for City Canyons Records. Lloyd swiftly recognized a rare and fresh talent in Jen Elliott, both as a vocalist and a songwriter. Since then, Jen had been recording and performing non-stop, appearing or soon to appear in such top New York venues as the Village Underground, Shine, The Cutting Room the C-Note and headlining at the 2003 Global Entertainment and Media Summit at Le Bar Bat. In her rare spare moments, she is focused on writing and becoming reacquainted with her childhood friend-the violin.
Jen's Music
They say music can transport you anywhere. Well, the music of Jen Elliott takes you straight to that raw emotional place where you just have to say exactly what is on your mind in whatever mode fits the feeling. As it happens, that place is a very special neighborhood where rock, blues and pop meet (what the folks around City Canyons Records call RBP).
While Jen sometime calls to mind Sheryl Crow and Bonnie Rait, her sound is truly all her own. Her blend of bluesy rock with the occasional pop hook is propelled off the stage by her boundless energy and charisma. The fact that she is blessed by the Jen Elliott Band, featuring some of the finest musicians in New York, also helps.
Some Recent Press
"With great melodies, catchy hooks and a sultry
voice, Jen Elliott's debut album 'The Secret's Out'
won't be a secret for long! This smart and sexy
newcomer breaths a breath of fresh air into today's
music scene with a delightful mix of pop, rock, and
blues."
-- Brittany Jones / KUCA-FM & KCON-AM Radio
"A mixture of sultry vocals and one helluva big sound. Jen Elliot mixes a wicked combination of blues, aggressive pop, and funktified jazz to create a sound that is nothing but pure emotion. She possesses a silky voice that blows over an eclectic montage of lyrics and sounds."
-- Andrew Hicks, Outline Magazine
"The Secret’s Out, Jen Elliot’s debut CD (City Canyon Records) is a perfect balance of belt it out blues and Sheryl Crowe mid-tempo rock. The opening track Move, has a big band intro leading to a big bluesy voice. Elliot’s singing packs a bigger punch than Vonda Shepard, and hints at what a grown up Christina Aguilera would sound like….The tempo changes again with the mischievous rhythm of Paint It and the jungle beat of Curse On You. The CD’s closer, Pop Blues is a fantastic slice of Chicago barroom R&B that would fit in admirably at any South Side haunt on a Friday night."
-- Hot New Bands On The Horizon, Suite 101.com, Marianne Moro
"Jen Elliott rocks!"
-- Jason Adams, Entertainment Weekly
'The Secret's Out' press release
Photos
Listen to Jen Elliott
The Secret's Out: 30s Preview(119k mp3) :: Full song(1mb mp3)
Curse On You: 30s Preview(123k mp3) :: Full song(808k mp3)
Love and the Rebel: 30s Preview(122k mp3) :: Full song(831k mp3)
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