Jen Hajj
“I of the Storm”
Though Salt Lake City-based singer/songwriter/musician Jen Hajj has been writing music since her earliest childhood back in Tempe, Ariz., her springtime release, “I of the Storm,” is her first CD.
Hajj has long held a love of acoustic and traditional styles, first assisting with and now hosting the program “Bluegrass Express” on KRCL radio, and making regular appearance throughout Utah and beyond at acoustic music and bluegrass jams and workshops.
Though she has only in recent years stepped out into the folk scene — she made the finals at the 2011 Tucson Folk Festival and landed a 2011 First Timer’s Scholarship with the Utah Folk Alliance — Hajj has been a performer for many years.
She studied music at the University of Utah with a focus in opera, and was considering a career in that profession, or perhaps as a church choir conductor or professional pianist, when she started having difficulties with hoarseness and catching her breath. She was diagnosed with asthma, but her physical problems vanished once she quit the rigors of operatic training.
On the CD, her sound is certainly clear, sweet and powerful, with a tone somewhat reminiscent of a young Judy Collins.
Hajj, who plays piano and rhythm guitar, co-produced the album with the help of Ken Kruckenberg (who also engineers and plays percussion and keyboards). They are joined by a solid supporting cast of Salt Lake City-area favorites, including Ken Sager (dobro, acoustic guitar, bass, mandolin), Rex Seabury (harmony vocals, guitar) and Mary Danzig (fiddle). The musical styles the gifted ensemble plays on “I of the Storm” include traditional blues, bluegrass and folk rock. Elements of American Indian and world music also appear in the mix.
The standout cuts include “Rain,” a celebration of the cleansing powers of a desert storm. In the tune, Hajj sings a scat-like rhythmic melody and multitracks her vocals against a complex-yet-clean tabla and other percussion accents.
“Words Run Away,” about the elemental power of speech and writing, is downright captivating and fresh while harking back to the best of the ’60s folk sound. Sample lyric: “Some words stumble, and sometimes they can spin/ Wishing they can stand up on their own. Some words can close the door, but some invite us in/ Those are the sweetest words I know.”
Her one cover on the album, the traditional tune “In the Pines,” has been done by a multitude of artists, but here is given a compelling and melodic arrangement by Hajj and Sager that makes it well worth another listen.
“I of the Storm” is a powerful debut by a singer/songwriter who has what it takes to make her mark on the folk and acoustic music scene.
