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November 10, 2007 @ The Basement —Jennifer Niceley Jennifer Niceley Continues to Impress, Delivering Jazz-Infused Poetic Meditations on Nature Jennifer Niceley's recently released debut CD Luminous is a dissonantly beautiful jazz record filled with haunting lyrics that poetically describe the struggle between the city's hardscapes and nature's landscapes. Born and raised on a farm outside of Knoxville, Niceley now lives among the hardscapes of Nashville amid the rising condominium towers and continued development along the Cumberland River. However, Niceley's not at home surrounded by concrete, and she often travels back to her family farm to reconnect with nature—a setting she longs for often. Indeed, Niceley's lyrics are poetic meditations on the beauty of nature and, indirectly, its slow destruction as it gives-way to the bulldozers of humankind. More a naturalist than an environmentalist, Niceley's music often documents the emotional and sensory charge that being alone with nature brings. Not only is her vocal delivery hypnotically soft and tranquil like the relaxing flow of river water, her guitarist Joe McMahan delivers melancholic dissonant jazz riffs that seem to mimic the cries of the wilderness. Niceley's live performances are consistently superb, bringing the record's production polish to life and then some. Indeed, it is a rare occasion when a chatty Basement crowd ceases conversations to devote all of their attention toward the stage. But Niceley's vocals are like no other, and the capacity crowd came to a complete silence upon hearing Niceley launch into "Dark Eyes," a song that begins with Niceley's a capella vocal. Niceley and McMahan have been performing some high-profile gigs recently, playing both Bonnaroo and the Austin City Limits Festival. Their presentation of the music is as good as it gets in Nashville. To be sure, during Niceley's 45-minute set the audience's gaze remained intently fixed upon the stage. The set consisted of many tracks on Luminous, as well as another song (perhaps a new one) that Niceley performed solo. All record labels with an ounce of sense regarding quality music should be paying close attention to Jennifer Niceley—and you should too. Buy the record, and go see this amazing singer when the opportunity arises. —Vincent Wynne
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