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When you think of three-part harmony, The Persuasions and Crosby, Stills, and Nash inevitably come to mind and perhaps on the female side, Trio (Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, and Linda Ronstadt). In this millennium though, The Wailin’ Jennys are inarguably among the best, especially in terms of a cappella. It’s almost as if they sound like sisters, their voices meld together so well. Fifteen via Red House is their long-awaited follow-up to 2011’s Bright Morning Star and has a similar understated, elegant tone. However, this one will leave their most ardent fans wanting more as it clocks in at around 32 minutes compared to its predecessor’s 48. Nonetheless, it features some marvelous takes on some familiar fare.
As these women are respectively raising their young children, it has become more difficult to get together to record. Add the fact that Nicky Mehta and Ruth Moody hail from western Canada with Heather Masse in upstate New York, and it’s easy to understand the challenge. Moody says, “Nicky and Heather could only be away from their boys for a week, which gave us five days! So, we decided to do something that was true to our live show. Arranging other people’s songs has something we’ve enjoyed doing since the beginning, so we thought that a covers album would be fun to do, especially given the time constraints.”
The music bears little accompaniment although some have strings guitars; keeping the focus where it should be, on the three magnificent voices, ranging from achingly emotional to just clear, beautiful exuberance. The opener, “Old Churchyard,” is a traditional tune sung a cappella over a single droning viola tone. They follow with a full-on acoustic version of the late Tom Petty’s ‘Wildflowers” and proceed to Dolly Parton’s “Light of a Clear, Blue Morning” again in an a cappella arrangement. Other highlights include: Emmylou Harris’ “Boulder to Birmingham,” Warren Zevon’s “Keep Me in Your Heart,” and Patty Griffin’s “Not Alone” along with a female point-of-view on Paul Simon’s “Love Me Like a Rock” and the Hank Williams Sr. staple, “Weary Blues From Waitin’.”
Founding member Ruth Moody, who leans toward ethereal straight-ahead folk, has some solo projects while newest member, Heather Masse, who joined in 2007, has released two excellent jazz collaborations for the same label, Red House. Like many groups, the trio formed almost accidentally, as they got together for a one-time-only performance at a tiny guitar shop in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Fifteen years later, they have become a fixture on the international scene. As many will attest, there’s nothing quite like hearing these three ladies sing live. Fortunately, the trio will be on tour in the states during November and December and again in February 2018.
