The Nashville-based singer/songwriter Jennell is set to release her latest EP, Home on August 28, 2015. The five-song EP mixes the rootsy stomp of folk music with hooks and harmonies of pop. The record is compiled of songs and stories about life on the road—about traveling across the country in search of a new home, chasing dreams, and experiencing a roller-coaster’s worth of ups and downs. Regardless of moving to Nashville in March 2014 in an attempt to magnify her country sound, one she arrived in the capital of country music, she began writing songs that reached beyond the genre’s borders. Home is her first release as a Nashville resident but is her most wide-ranging collection of music to date.
“I am so excited about the new album,” says Jennell. “I am more excited about this than anything I have ever done. I worked so hard on this project and was involved in every detail of making the EP, that no matter what happens, I will be proud of it. It is honest and from the heart… it is my story,” Jennell says when asked about her latest project. Home was recorded in Nashville and was produced by Dewey Boyd Jr. at the Forty-One-Fifteen recording studio. While the driving percussion and gang vocals sometimes evoke comparisons to the Mumford & Sons and the Lumineers, Home doesn’t really sound like them—it sounds like Jennell.
After releasing her two EPs heavily influenced by country music, Urban Cowboy and Boots N Dukes, Nashville seemed like the most logic place to pursue her solo career. “Moving to Nashville was one of the best decisions I have made,” Jennell says. “I don’t regret living in LA, because I have so many great memories and it was a great learning experience, but Nashville is where I belong. Nashville has a touch of Wyoming’s small town charm, mixed with the excitement and entertainment industry of Los Angeles. It’s a perfect blend and great place for me to grow as an artist.”
While taking grad school classes at University of Southern California, Jennell began writing poetry, playing the guitar, and writing songs in her free time. While working with producer Dan Diaz, she wrote and recorded her debut EP, The Game, giving her a boost in popularity after several songs wound their way onto cable TV shows like “Giuliana and Bill,” and “E! True Hollywood Story.” Producers Patrick Bolton and Will Luke heard the singer perform and soon hired her as a backup singer, with Jennell going on to sing harmonies for recording artists “Hope” and Disney Channel star, Roshon Fegan, while simultaneously working her solo career. Jennell is an indie pop/folk singer and songwriter from Casper, Wyoming. Since the move to Nashville, Jennell has challenged herself writing and co-writing with several artists around Nashville of all genres. Jennell took this year to soul search and has found her voice as an artist.
Home features “Long Way From Home,” “Put Down The Bottle,” “This One’s For You,” “Pave My Own Way,” and “Feels Like Home.”
By: Sarah Kelleher