JENNIFER LYN AND THE GROOVE REVIVAL
BADLANDS
BURNED IT DOWN–BADLANDS–LET GO THIS TIME–GIVE IN TO YOU–MUDDY WATER–ANYTHING BUT ME–I’M RUNNING TO YOU–GONNA LET YOU GO–WEST TO BISMARCK–GOODNIGHT SWEET DARLING
Born in Minnesota, current North Dakota resident Jennifer Lyn grew up amidst the sounds of folk, traditional country, and gospel playing on the family turntable. As she got older, she lived in various areas of the country, always soaking up the sounds prevalent in those regions. As a result, her sophomore release, “Badlands,” is ten cuts of blues-rock that touch on her many musical influences. Most are uptempo, with but a few exceptions. Along with Jennifer, who’s on guitar and vocals, the power trio is rounded out by Kevin Holm on drums, and Darren King on bass. Jennifer wields her Strat like a well-sharpened axe, cutting a wide swath thru this diverse material.
The set begins on an ominous note, with our heroine catching her lover entwined with another. Her jealous rage takes the worst possible turn, as “I Burned It Down.” The seemingly never-ending array of daily violence in the news is the biting theme of the title cut, while the Sixties-styled love ballad, “Give In To You,” showcases her testifyin’, gospel side. “Gonna Let You Go” gives a no-good lover the heave-ho, set over a funky, danceable groove, while that good-time vibe takes us “West To Bismarck, baby, to make sweet love to you!”
There were two unique cuts that served as our favorites. “Muddy Water” has a lively, country-by-way-of-Southern-rock vibe, and the set-closer, “Goodnight Sweet Darling,” is further proof that she’ll always have that folk Muse in her soul. The slide guitar on this one was courtesy of Eric Kubischta.
Jennifer Lyn is bent on carrying the flame for the music she grew up listening to. She’s a vital part of the new generation of players that strive to create new, magical musical experiences, of which “Badlands” is a stunning example! Until next time…Sheryl and Don Crow, The Nashville Blues Society.
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