Jen Lane and John Antoniuk duet again with their new release entitled Jen & John II, a follow up to their highly successful debut duets album which saw the convergence of John’s indie rock/ roots with Jen’s country/folk influences. Jen & John II sees them develop their combined sound even further with the release of 6 new originals and a fantastically emotional cover of the classic Love Hurts.
After their 2016 summer tour Jen & John stopped in Kelowna to re-connect with their old friends at Bottega Studio, where they recorded Jen Lane’s album This Life of Mine. The studio was open and the duo had a few days off and thought it would be a good time to record and so they decided to work on some tracks that had been developed on the road. The resulting self-produced album is Jen & John II, seven quietly reflective and hopeful tracks featuring their signature brand of rich harmonies, soothing melodies, and their classic 70’s inspired call and response duet style. The beautiful melodies cascade around the lyrics that straddle the line between things they’ve lost, the pain that can linger without them and the things they love and can’t live without. The emotional weight of the album leaves the listener standing on the edge of reflective sadness outlined with quiet optimism, a perfect recipe for a wonderful evening listening to their sweet music and enjoying a bottle of wine.
The lead single and opening track is I Don’t Need The Sunshine, written by John on Salt Spring Island at the cabin they honeymooned in. The single came out this week on Valentine’s Day.
“I was feeling so fortunate to have my girl and be living my dream and thought of all the things I could do without, clearing the clutter in my mind, and realizing that all I needed was Jen”.
This theme of putting aside the sadness and heartache of day to day living, to be thankful, hopeful and happy with the one you love, as you soldier through life arm in arm, has a powerful impact on the listener. With this in mind, their cover of Love Hurts popularized by Nazareth, and written by Felice & Boydleaux Bryant is beautifully performed, and quietly reflective.
“We heard Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris cover this song and knew this would be a great cover for us. It is one of those moments when we are singing together where you can really feel the compatibility in our voices and our love.”
While on tour with Jen’s This Life of Mine album, Jen & John found out they were expecting. Their journey in life opened a new chapter and source of inspiration. Big Beautiful Butterfly the album closer is a fun-filled, sing along with a crowd-pleasing chorus, written by John and his niece and nephew on a night of babysitting.
For the album cover they asked their good friend, Shane Connery Volk, lead singer of Saskatoon rock band One Bad Son, to draw something reflective of the maturing of both their songwriting and relationship.
Jen & John are in it for the long haul and you can expect another round of Industry showcases to add to their already impressive list of showcases at Breakout West, Canadian Music Week, North by Northeast and Prairie Scene, as well as International recognition at Folk Alliance in Kansas City, South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, and through SaskMusic’s Export Showcase in Los Angeles, CA. The future of Jen & John is bright; you can expect more duet albums, a solo album from Jen Lane, as well as John’s rock influenced band Smokekiller.
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