Jenna Nicholls – The Commuter
This set takes a listener into the confines of Parisian cafes, New Orleans juke joints, the Tennessee hills, the plains of Texas & Oklahoma, with a detour into the Hudson Valley where Jenna’s love of vintage music is recreated originally by her own hand & intuition.
There are 10 different modes of transportation for The Commuter (Released Originally Oct. 25, 2025/Royal Potato Family/35:20) produced by Larry Campbell (guitar/mandolin/fiddle/pedal steel guitar/string & horn arrangements), a Grammy-winner.
Former western PA native Jenna Nicholls (vocals/piano/guitar/ukulele), who moved from her Lower East Side digs in NYC to a new upstate NY home, has revisited the past & has taken some ghosts with her. She sings in a zone once occupied by Annette Hanshaw (“Who’s That Knockin’ At My Door”), Lee Morse & later Leon Redbone. However, while some of the music on this LP sounds milled from a deep archive of the ‘20s, the majority was written by Jenna. And therein lies the brilliance. Oldies with spirit, freshly written, not dug up. And Jenna, with her remarkable band, has polished & buffed it.
“You, Me & the Moon,” & “I Lost My Gal, From Memphis,” are 2 rousing opening tunes that possess all the Roaring ‘20s pop wizardry of the ballroom era – enough to motivate a listener to want to sip a highball & light an unfiltered Lucky Strike. With the island-sounding “When a Good Love Goes Away,” there’s a tint of the late Nanci Griffith in Jenna’s wonderfully warm voice.
The tune clarity works; no need to add faux scratches like a 78-rpm record; the individualist in each original tune is created by Jenna’s vocal tone; the process of maintaining the vintage groove is in every performance. “Tie a String” keeps the Nanci Griffith oomph in the spirit. Completely original in vocal approach is “All Those Days You Won’t Remember,” a stunning ballad Frank Sinatra would have grabbed. Lots of musical & lyrical gifts become evident. This type of song is as good as George Harrison’s “Something” & Kui Lee’s “I’ll Remember You” (by Elvis).
The extremely cool Lee Morse (on YouTube) hides in Jenna & surfaces on “No Boots.” Ms. Morse tossed in yodeling too (1930’s “A Million Me’s” segment & 1928’s “If You Want The Rainbow”). Songs like the exquisite “The Commuter” & “Holy Moses” recall musically the Joy Eden Harrison (“Angel Town”) Billie Holiday/Dixieland piece “I’ll Be Alright.”
Jenna Nicholls is delightful & would be worth sharing an umbrella with.
Highlights – “You, Me & the Moon,” “I Lost My Gal, From Memphis,” “When a Good Love Goes Away,” “Tie a String,” “All Those Days You Won’t Remember,” “No Boots,” “Small Talk,” “The Commuter,” & “Holy Moses.”
Musicians – Josh Dion (drums), Brandon Morrison (bass), Jon LaDeau (acoustic/electric guitars), Danny Fox (piano), Steve Bernstein (cornet), Dan Levine (trombone/tuba), & Marika Hughes (cello).
A folded 6-panel lyric insert is included. CD image by Deborah Lopez Lynch. Color image courtesy of Shervin Lainez. CD @ Bandcamp & https://jennanicholls.com/