CONCERT BLAST!

Jenny Casey CD Review – Rockin’ The House

Posted on 8/31/2013

This year Concert Blast has been asked to review many new CDs from various artists and music genres.  While we were covering the CMA Music Festival in Nashville this year we were introduced to a local country music artist from Oklahoma with a wonderful personality that we loved, Jenny Casey.  We spent some time with Jenny during the multiple events and we all had a fun time together.  Since Jenny was about to release her new CD, “Rockin’ The House”, we asked her if she was brave enough to have us review her new project.  Jenny was thrilled for us to offer and sent us a CD to review.  Enjoy Mike Arnold’s song by song review with an overall recap of Jenny Casey’s “Rockin The House”.

Written by Mike Arnold Concert Blast started out as a discussion podcast on the hundreds of concerts Brian Hasbrook, Tom Thompson, and I attended over the years including all the mishaps along the way.  We then branched out to interviewing artists which led to reviewing concerts and covering music festivals.  During the slow concert season I began to review books written by music artists and the next thing I knew we asked to review new released music.  This year I’ve reviewed a few new CDs in the rock music genre, but this is the first time I’ve ever reviewed a country music CD.  With the love I have for rock music, take this first country music review lightly.  Here’s my review of Jenny Casey’s “Rockin’ The House”.

Farrah Fawcett Hair

I instantly got excited during the intro to this number with an excellent blues/rock guitar riff including a sultry voice, “Ok Girls, Are we ready for this? (with a repeated/fading, this, this, this)”, which reminded me of a Shania Twain intro.  Then the song instantly shifted gears into a lot of “NaNa NaNa Na’s” which sounded as if this was an intro to a song from a pre-school children’s record.  Wait a minute… It shifted gears again into a contemporary country music song that’s not that bad… I’m confused!  “Farrah Fawcett Hair” was all over the map in the first thirty seconds and by the time the chorus came around, we were back to the NaNa’s again… No Thanks!  The lyrics were cute, but the production confused me.  If the song left out the NaNa’s, I would actually enjoy it.  If this was released back in the 1970s, when the original Charlie’s Angels TV show was hitting prime time, it could have sold millions.

Dish Man

Here’s another song that fooled me.  The lyrics begin to tell us what Jenny does not care for in a man. Then we realize what she really wants is a man to wash dishes.  WHAT?  Jenny turns her lyrics of “Dish Man” into a sexy song about watching a man wash dishes… No Thanks!  I really would like this song a lot if it wasn’t for the lyrics, although women may find this song to be one of their favorites.  Listening to a song about wanting a man to wash dishes is a real turn off for me (not that I mind washing dishes).  The intro to this song and the instrumental break is lead by an excellent harmonica player by the name of Chris ‘Freight Train’ Floyd… Excellent Job!  I loved the production of this song with its very full sound, including the bubbles going down the drain sound effects at the end.  Another turn off for me in this number is the mild profanity used.  It’s not needed… Ever!

Flour Sack Dress

After two songs with semi-cute lyrics, it’s now time to get serious.  I believe that “Flour Sack Dress” is one of the best-written songs on the CD.   Jenny describes her grandmother’s childhood as a little girl growing up playing and wearing a flour sack dress.  It’s a touching melodic story of Jenny being told how it was to live back in simpler times.  I feel this could be a hit if Miranda Lambert were to record and release the song as a single.  The fiddle in this song played by Laura McGhee is superb, and the mandolin played by Steve Goodie shines.

They Don’t Pay Me Enough

It’s time to get back to fooling me on the intro of another one.  “They Don’t Pay Me Enough” starts off as if the song is about to explode into a hard rock number.  That’s until you hear the Jenny’s high pitch voice count off, “1-2-3-4!”  Then it turns into a contemporary country music song with cute lyrics.  Jenny’s lyrics simply turns into a complaint about her job (I’m sure it’s not autobiographical).  This is another good upbeat tune that is one of my favorites on the CD, although there are times when the lyrics get on my nerves with, “Company softball is where I draw the line.” At the end of the song she adds, “What’s that check say? You gotta be kidding me!”  However, I do like the chorus and the driving drum beat.  This is another song for Miranda Lambert!

The Mother Load

Let the cute songs for the females continue… and they do with “The Mother Load”.  This is one of those songs, as Jenny says in the lyrics, “Be careful what you wish!”  This tune is describing the details of hitting the mother load, not in a wealthy way, but in a way that only a mother can describe by raising multiple kids (like Jenny’s life).  Although this is another cute song for the female audience, the lyrics are quite clever, “”I never thought I’d hit the jackpot quite like this I mean, sure I love Walmart, but this is ridiculous!”  Another clever lyrical section, “Ain’t countin’ gold, got clothes to fold, I’m wipin’ bottoms, moppin’ floors”.  There’s also an excellent guitar lead in the song, but it’s not loud enough to really enjoy.  Here’s a link to the cute video.  Check it out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wppeyXwA6Y

Loretta

Now it’s time to dig back to the old style of traditional country music with “Loretta”.  This song is obviously about Loretta Lynn and if she was to start her career today, would the music industry and public accept her.  I would think not.  Not because Loretta Lynn doesn’t have the talent it takes to make it, but because of the lack of acceptance of that old style traditional country music is long gone.  Then again I’ve been wrong before.  I didn’t think Jamey Johnson’s style would be accepted today.  If it wasn’t for the hit song “In Color” I don’t believe he would.  This is one song that is very hard for me to listen to.  There are plenty of people who like the traditional country music sound, but to me it’s about the same as listening fingernails drag across a chalkboard!  As I grew up with AM radio, I had to listen to my parents enjoy that style of music and it drove me insane (that might explain a lot!).  Although I might not enjoy the song, the lyrics are well written, “Oh, Loretta would they let you be a country star today, would lawyers and the record labels all get in your way?”  Now that’s something to ponder!  I like how Loretta Lynn’s song titles are embedded into the lyrics.

Shoes

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A nice rhythm acoustic guitar starts the number “Shoes”.  It is a catchy tune, but the lyrics are once again speaking to the female audience.  I know a lot of ladies who seem they can’t have enough shoes in their collection.  Thank goodness I’m not married to one.  This is another song that gets on my nerves, but it does contain cute clever lyrics as Jenny describes various shoes and how they affect the body, “There’s some that push you way up and some that just keep you flat, but whether you’re dressed down or dressed up, the crazy truth is that it takes a lot of shoes to be a girl”.

Got The Whole Place To Ourselves

Ok now, calm down!  “Got The Whole Place To Ourselves” is about a couple finally getting to be alone in the house while all the kids are away.  The lyrics are very risqué as the chorus goes, “Jump on the bed, trash all the toys, make a mess, make some noise, play the way we want to play when it’s our turn for misbehaving. Sugar me up, keep me up late, there’s no one ‘round to tell, cause we got the whole place to ourselves.”  WOW! Somebody call a doctor!  They’re out of control!  It’s an upbeat song with lyrics that are… well, you just read a few lines and here’s some more, “You better play hard and don’t get tired, swing me from the chandelier, set the place on fire, yeah we’ll get crazy and get loud, even if we have to lock them out!”  At the end of the song it really gets risqué! “This place is a mess. Somebody’s gonna get a spankin’ around here… hmmm, hmmmm, hmmmm, that was fun.”  There’s also mild profanity mentioned.  Hey Jenny, please tell me you won’t make a video of this song!

My Boy

After all the cute songs, it’s now time to get serious again with “My Boy”.  I like this tune as the lyrics grab my attention from the beginning.  Jenny’s voice sounds the best during the verses on this number while the fiddle and acoustic guitar adds to the production.  This is a well produced song, with well written lyrics.  If you’re a mom that has seen their son grow up and leave the nest to begin their own venture in life, this one may bring a tear to your eye.  The opening verse is very touching, “You’ve got yourself a little place, you’re driving your own wheels and I’m not washing clothes for you or cooking your meals.  I always knew the day would come you’d take this step, but I can’t help feeling the emptiness”  Nice!  I’m sure this song is directly from the heart and life of Jenny Casey.  I love this one and I feel it could be a hit if it was put in the right hands. There’s a good video on this song on Jenny’s You Tube channel.  Check it Out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVarcZMn6Kw

Thankful

When I read the title of this song, I thought this would be a nice ballad.  To my surprise it’s a song with a medium beat about being, as the title says, “Thankful”.  This number is not about being thankful for having plenty, but being thankful for having the simple things in life.  The harmonica shines in this song. It’s an OK song, not that it’s a bad song, it’s just not one that sticks in my memory, but I do love what the song represents.

Woman

It’s time for another ballad.  “Woman” describes what a woman puts herself through while going through life.  The story line of the lyrics remind me of Alice Cooper’s “Only Women Bleed”.  Not that the song sounds like it or the lyrics are similar, it’s just that they both have the same story.  Women go through a lot in this world.  The majority of the women in the U.S. get married, birth babies, take on a full time job, and balance their jobs, motherhood, and being a wife along with the other things they try to accomplish and/or enjoy.  This is another well produced, well written song with great vocals.  The Red Wine Effect provided excellent background vocals on this number.  To me, Jenny Casey’s voice is made for these lower keyed songs with harmonies.

Forty

To close out the CD, Jenny decides to go with another cute, catchy song, “Forty”.  This one describes how someone at the age of forty wants to become a country music star, but has to compete with the young music artists.  As the lyrics go, “…and then I started writin’ songs, so we moved to Nashville, Tennessee so I could be a country singin’ mom.  Well I got a few years on Taylor Swift, Scotty McCreery and all those kids, well, I may not be wrinkle free, but a few gray hairs ain’t stoppin’ me.”  But the catchy part of the song that hooked me the first time I heard this, “Cause forty is just another F word, well lordy, it’s the new thirty so I’ve heard and I’m not gonna let it get in my way.  I’ll keep on climbin’ up on a stage cause forty is just another F word.”  Again there is more mild profanity in this song’s lyrics.  The lyrics are somewhat cute, but Jenny doesn’t have to spell out the word forty.  As she mentions, “it’s a stupid spelling anyway”.

RECAP

Having listened to this CD multiple times, I must say that I enjoy Jenny Casey’s songwriting skills.  Most of the songs on this album were written for working class married females raising children.  There were several songs that were so “Cutesy” that it got on my nerves as a man and I wouldn’t want to listen to over and over (“Farrah Fawcett Hair”, “Dish Man”, “The Mother Load”, “Shoes”, “Forty”). However, these songs could create fun music videos!  There was one song of the old time traditional country sound that is real hard for me to listen to, but I realize it held a special place in Jenny’s and other’s heart (“Loretta”), and several songs that I feel could be recorded by major label artists (“Flour Sack Dress”, “They Don’t Pay Me Enough”, “My Boy”, “Woman“).  The one thing I really wanted to hear was Jenny to belt out a loud note from the gut, but it never happened (that I recalled).  It seemed she kept her voice at the throat instead of singing from deep down.  There were also several songs with unnecessary mild profanity (profanity of any kind is a major turn off for me).  Most of the songs had very good musicianship (especially with the guitars, fiddle, and harmonica) and smooth background vocals.  On the Concert Blast scale (with 0 being terrible and 5 being the greatest CD ever) I will give this CD a 2.0.  However, if you like country music with cute, cleaver written lyrics made for females, then you will love Jenny Casey‘s “Rockin’ The House“. Written by Mike Arnold

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Tags: blog, CD Review Rockin’ The House, Chris Floyd, Freight Train, Jenny Casey, jennycasey.com, Laura McGhee, Mike Arnold, Nashville, Oklahoma, Red Wine Effect, Steve Goodie, TN