Rock/pop

Jennifer Warnes: The Well

The Well

Music
by Jennifer Warnes | Oct 12, 2012

Music

Sonics

Jennifer Warnes is one of the most underrated pop singers of her generation. Her albums, though few and far between, brim with melody and craft—and lyrics both intelligent and emotionally weighted. The Well was originally released in 2001 but time hasn’t dulled its spirit. Along with the title track, standouts include “Patriot’s Dream” in duet with Arlo Guthrie, a stunning cover of Tom Waits’ “Invitation To the Blues,” and Dylan’s classic “Born In Time.” The songs are lovingly produced, inventively orchestrated, and stocked with a who’s who of studio musicians. But Warnes’ expressive vocals overshadow all. She’s a singer who asks a lot of her gifts, always searching for finer degrees of nuance and dynamics like a painter mixing color on a palette. The reissue from Impex Records (staffed by former Cisco émigrés) is a model for the premium LP industry. Its two-disc 45rpm 180-gram pressings are presented in an individually numbered wood box with a twelve-page, large format booklet that includes notes and lyrics. Bernie Grundman presided over the all- tube remastering. Sonically this about as good as it gets from a studio-bred multi- track—fabulous acoustic textures, deep bass, and awesome ambience. A vinyl- lover’s dream come true.

More Info

Media	LP
Label	Impex
Contributors	Jennifer Warnes Primary artist

By Neil Gader

My love of music largely predates my enthusiasm for audio. I grew up Los Angeles in a house where music was constantly playing on the stereo (Altecs, if you’re interested). It ranged from my mom listening to hit Broadway musicals to my sister’s early Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Beatles, and Stones LPs, and dad’s constant companions, Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett. With the British Invasion, I immediately picked up a guitar and took piano lessons and have been playing ever since. Following graduation from UCLA I became a writing member of the Lehman Engel’s BMI Musical Theater Workshops in New York–working in advertising to pay the bills. I’ve co-written bunches of songs, some published, some recorded. In 1995 I co-produced an award-winning short fiction movie that did well on the international film-festival circuit. I was introduced to Harry Pearson in the early 70s by a mutual friend. At that time Harry was still working full-time for Long Island’s Newsday even as he was writing Issue 1 of TAS during his off hours. We struck up a decades-long friendship that ultimately turned into a writing gig that has proved both stimulating and rewarding. In terms of music reproduction, I find myself listening more than ever for the “little” things. Low-level resolving power, dynamic gradients, shadings, timbral color and contrasts. Listening to a lot of vocals and solo piano has always helped me recalibrate and nail down what I’m hearing. Tonal neutrality and presence are important to me but small deviations are not disqualifying. But I am quite sensitive to treble over-reach, and find dry, hyper-detailed systems intriguing but inauthentic compared with the concert-going experience. For me, true musicality conveys the cozy warmth of a room with a fireplace not the icy cold of an igloo. Currently I split my time between Santa Fe, New Mexico and Studio City, California with my wife Judi Dickerson, an acting, voice, and dialect coach, along with border collies Ivy and Alfie.