JEN ELLIOTT: The Secret's Out

Jen Elliott

The Secret's Out

© 2003 City Canyons LLC (881017000128)

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A winning blend featuring the heart of rock, the soul of blues and the hooky delights of pop with gutsy female vocals.

tracks

1 Move
2 Empty Eyes
3 I Can't Concentrate
4 Love Crazy
5 High Wire
6 Why Can't This Be A Love Song
7 Curse on You
8 The Secret's Out
9 Paint It
10 Dead in My Tracks
11 Love and the Rebel
12 Pop Blues
13 Bonus Track: Children of the Rain

notes

Jen Elliott has been called "a 21st century siren" and her energy shines from inside each and every song...vivid, honest and seductive.

This is a girl who was raised on traditional gospel. She still writes and sings straight from her soul...but now, it's the rock n' roll that is her first love. Jen Elliott was raised in Jacksonville, Florida and moved to Manhattan just over three years ago "for the experience". Let's just say it's been a hell of an experience.

Two years ago, a senior executive at City Canyons Records heard a live, a cappella, and completely raw CD of Jen's original music and agreed to take her on. Jumping at the longshot opportunity, Jen began work on a demo project with the up and coming indie record label. Amazingly enough, this ultimately turned into her debut CD THE SECRET'S OUT. Of course, it took a ridiculous amount of work, and many hours spent with one of the most talented voice teachers around-the late Ruth Markus Goodman.

Her album was released late last year and has received Top 30 college radio airplay and favorable press nationwide. Jen has been featured in issues of Entertainment Today, The Sun Herald, Inside Connection and Keyboard Magazine. To date, the band has opened for the likes of the Little River Band and Nils Lofgren at the Downtown in Farmingdale, NY, performed at the Global Entertainment and Media Summits 2003 and 2004, Earth Day NY, GoGirls Elite Showcase NYC 2004, A Day in the Park (opening for the band Nine Days), MEANY Fest 2003 as well as at top venues in New York and New Jersey. Jen also recorded a benefit track for the Daintree Rainforest Project, an international organization to save one of the earth's great rainforests. This haunting track, titled "Children of the Rain" is offered as a free bonus CD with THE SECRET'S OUT. The band is currently busy working on a college tour and they are already looking forward to their next album.

Jen also performs in a separate acoustic project with Anne Husick, a veteran New York musical force and guitarist for Bluestruck. Their collaboration as songwriters and performers has provided much of the material for the full band set and the duo continues to perform everywhere they can, since they are continually writing more material than they can actually perform in one show!

Jen is always pushing her artistic limits-she is currently improving her savvy in the ways of the guitar, violin, and the tambourine (it's such an underestimated instrument). She plans to be on the road with the band as much as possible over the next year.

reviews

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  • You should listen to Jen's latest album, 8 DAYS DOWN!
    author: Bari Goodman

    This is a super album but you really should check out Jen's new album on CD Baby, 8 DAYS DOWN. It's even better than THE SECRET'S OUT!

  • Literate and passionate songwriting!
    author: Eric Steiner, Cosmik Debris

    Jen Elliott's debut on New York's City Canyons label introduced me to a new singer with a voice that ranges from soft Julia Fordham-like jazz to the sound of rock shouters like Grace Slick. THE SECRET'S OUT features a dozen cuts, and I particularly like the way she approaches love from a woman's perspective on "I Can't Concentrate" or the advice she has for "men of iron and men of steel" on "Pop Blues." THE SECRET'S OUT includes a bonus CD with "Children of the Rain" to raise awareness of how man has encroached on natural wonders like rain forests. www.jenelliott.com has sound samples of "Why Can't This Be a Love Song," "Move," and "Love Crazy" - three good introductions to a young City Canyons artist well worth a listen. THE SECRET'S OUT has some literate and passionate songwriting from a woman's perspective as well as some very listenable guitar rock and blues.

  • Powerful Package!
    author: Jenny Ivo, Rambles Cultural Arts Magazine

    Jen Elliott's aptly titled debut album THE SECRET'S OUT presents a powerful package. A lady who can really sing, Elliott has the classy combination of belt and finesse to prove it. She's a girl who can write streetwise, intelligent, often challenging lyrics. The album supplies a sound all her own, blending and blurring rock, pop and blues, flavoured with a dash of funk, a hint of jazz, and wrapped in an eminently listen-to-it-again-and-again selection of 12 songs, each one a stand-alone gem, contributing to a rich, high-quality album. It bodes well for future releases. Jen Elliott will surely go far, her voice alone will take her places, but in this visual world, she also has looks to charm. This is a great "anytime" CD that I reluctantly removed from the player, and I will be listening hard for the next album.

  • This girl hits some ROCKIN' BLUES
    author: Rory Maginley of Anry Music

    Jen Elliott rocks OUR world with her punchy, screaming progressions. Her lyrics will hit you RIGHT BETWEEN THE EYES. The hooks are FANTASTIC.

  • Jen Elliott makes great rock
    author: Hank Bordowitz, The Bordowitz MediaWerx

    Jen Elliott has the goods. Fusing the sensibilities of the Rolling Stones with the Ronnettes, she and her band manage to be tougher and sexier than either. Nor is the sound really retro. Great rock is timeless, and Jen Elliott makes great rock.

  • This girl rocks!
    author: Buy Indie Music

    Wow! Sings great and looks great doin' it. Move over Sheryl Crow, here comes Jen!

  • Strong debut, confident, sultry voice!
    author: John Arkelian, Artsforum

    Strong debut by a New York-based geologist turned singer/songwriter. Blending rock, blues, and pop, Jen Elliott has a confident sultry voice, with energy to spare.

  • Great bluesy pop rock!
    author: Clever Joe, CleverJoe's indie band top picks

    Her music has been described as mixing rock, pop and blues, her voice compared to Janis Joplin, Grace Slick, Bonnie Raitt and her songwriting ability to Sheryl Crow's. Her new CD is part of a campaign to raise awareness of the plight of one of the world's great Rainforests through a joint undertaking, the Daintree Rainforest Project. Great bluesy pop rock CD, great cause.

  • Expressive Voice, Solid Tunes!
    author: Robbie Gennet, Keyboard Magazine

    New York City’s own Jen Elliot has just released a soulful and bluesy album, a wonder since her record company’s office was destroyed in the events of 9/11. With vocal talents beyond her 25 years, Elliot swings and struts through songs like the funky album opener “Move” and the honky-tonk of “Pop Blues,” while keyboardist Yaron Sarch contributes some fine supporting B-3 and electric piano. Her backing band Bluestruck does a great job with the music overall, and the songs sound like they would translate well to the stage. Elliot’s been compared to Vonda Shepard and Sheryl Crow, but with the mostly self-penned The Secret’s Out, Elliot’s expressive voice and solid tunes find their own identity.

  • Jen did the right thing in ditching her day job
    author: Score! Music Magazine

    According to the press releases, Jen is a forefront to a new music genre, RBP (rock blues pop). Exactly. I said, "What?!" also. I was disappointed with her first song , "Move". Her voice wasn't as strong as it could be, but I ate my words with the subsequent songs. Though her musical range is better suited to lower ranges, Jen did the right thing in ditching her day job. This CD is a keeper.

  • Killer Mix of Rock, Funk, Blues and R&B
    author: Mark E. Waterbury, Music Morsels

    New York's Jen Elliot presides over a killer mix of rock, funk, blues and R&B with her powerfully soulful vocals that melds the hooks of the top pop divas with the edge of today's hottest alt ladies. The mid tempo rocking "Move" launches the disc with a jazzy fervor. The sultry, throbbing blues of "Love Crazy" is followed by the lively pop lilt of "High Wire." With great players backing her up and solid lyric writing, Jen's debut deserves notice.

  • THE SECRET'S OUT is a gem!
    author: Zeitgeist

    Well, this is a gem. A mixture of blues rock and blue eyed soul with a hint of pop perception. It all kicks off with a bang, "Move" a significant statement of intent from a remarkable voice. Your attention is held all the way to the end with a rambunctious blast of honky tonk rhytm and blues, "Pop Blue"s....This is a remarkably assured debut, and an indicator of a major talent, waiting to be discovered.

  • Ace Vocals and Supernaturally Well-Drilled Band
    author: Whisperinand hollerin.com

    This young, Florida-born, Manhattan-dwelling performer is clearly not the kind to hide her light under a bushel for long and "The Secret's Out" is the kind of sassy, soul'n'funk-infused rock album that immediately carves out a niche commercially....Jen Elliott is one sassy, feisty lady who's learning her craft quickly and "The Secret's Out" is both mature and slinky, with her band Bluestruck almost supernaturally well-drilled throughout...Infectiously catchy opening tune "Move" pretty much sets the tone: a huge flourish of brass heralds a funky rock tune, with a massive, soul-review chorus. It's a great, radio-friendly song with superb vocals... Songs like "Empty Eyes" and the nagging title track have plenty going for them, with a glossy, Stones-y raunch and ace vocals enhanced by big production jobs. Meanwhile, with "I Can't Concentrate" and the tantalisingly catchy "High Wire", she's got tunes that will happily satisfy the large clique impatiently waiting for Robert Cray's new record and with the slower, dramatic impact of "Love Crazy" she almost sounds like a female update of the ballsy, earthy blues style that marked Paul Rodgers out as a star in the early '70s.

  • Jen Elliott, The Voice, The Soul, The Sound. RBP
    author: Ken Smith

    A little touch of Joplin added to a Silky Smooth, Soulful voice. Add a great band and it is no Secret that this is the best RBP out there.

  • The Secret's Out About Singer-Songwriter Jen Elliott
    author: Entertainment Today, Brent Simon

    Her debut album, released under the banner Jen Elliott and Bluestruck and titled THE SECRET'S OUT offers up a variety of songs and songcraft that showcases her talent---tunes raised on soul, sold on rock and laced with winning but never gimmicky pop hooks.

  • I am now a Jenn Elliott fan!
    author: Patrick McCool

    The Secret's Out is a refreshingly new project that dwarfs what is popular from today's stale selection of hip-hop and pop-rock cookie-cutter artists. Jenn Elliott is Janis Joplin meets Bessie Smith. I absolutely love what I hear and definately have become a Jenn Elliott fan overnight. I can't waite to hear what kind of fresh artistry her sassy stylings will produce next!

  • Sultry vocals and one helluva big sound!
    author: Andrew Hicks, Outline Magazine

    A mixture of sultry vocals and one helluva big sound. Jen Elliott mixes a wicked combination of blues, aggressive pop, and funktified jazz to create a sound that is nothing but pure emotion. She possesses a silky voice that blows over an eclectic montage of lyrics and sounds…

  • She's a 21st century siren!
    author: Arthur Shuey, Outrider Magazine

    Hearing that voice, a man looks for her photo. With two senses now fueling the imagination, a man hopes ...she will appear nearby soon. She's a 21st century siren, and her mission is "the unveiling of a new music genre, RBP(Rock Blues Pop)". To this critic's ears, Jen Elliott is a Joplin/Slick-level belter. She's got the power to front a band that fronts itself and to create perpetual motion upward between herself and that band... I am glad to have been introduced to Ms. Elliot via receipt of THE SECRET'S OUT.... We will hear from Jen Elliot again.

  • New and Refreshing Slant on Pop Music
    author: Brian Bizjack, Urban Tulsa Weekly

    Jen Elliott puts a new and refreshing slant on pop music with her aptly titled debut The Secret’s Out. Her record company calls her music RBP, which stands for rock, blues and pop, but it’s really more blues, pop and soul. Whatever it is, there isn’t much out right now that sounds like Elliott. Listeners are first struck by Elliott's soulful voice that sounds much more mature and full-bodied than what people would expect from a slender 25-year-old. An eclectic band behind this Jacksonville, Florida, native enhances her voice by playing a wide variety of music. Well-placed background singers also help out by chiming in at the right times...Elliott creates a new niche in the music industry with The Secret's Out and fills it with spirited songs.

  • Perfect Balance of Blues and Rock
    author: Marianne Moro, Suite 101.com,Hot New Bands on the Horizon

    THE SECRET'S OUT, Jen Elliott’s debut CD (City Canyon Records) is a perfect balance of belt it out blues and Sheryl Crowe mid-tempo rock. The opening track "Move," has a big band intro leading to a big bluesy voice. Elliot’s singing packs a bigger punch than Vonda Shepard, and hints at what a grown up Christina Aguilera would sound like….The tempo changes again with the mischievous rhythm of "Paint It" and the jungle beat of "Curse On You." The CD’s closer, "Pop Blue"s is a fantastic slice of Chicago barroom R&B that would fit in admirably at any South Side haunt on a Friday night.

  • Strong Lyrics, Unbelievable Sound
    author: Patty Fisher, Mace and Crown, Old Dominion University

    New artist Jen Elliott’s debut album, THE SECRET'S OUT, is a combination of rock, blues, and pop. Elliot transports her listeners through her world of strong tempered lyrics and unbelievable sound. Hailing from Florida, she has paved her own road….Elliot is part of a new genre in the music world called RBP. Standing for Rock Pop and Blues, RPB is a revelation in which Jen Elliot is the first to experiment. Her sound involves all elements to an equal degree….With such well-written title tracks as “Move,” “Empty Eyes,” and “Love Crazy” Elliott will surely attract the needed attention she deserves. This highly creative and strong album is a great first for Elliott.

  • Bright and Souful, One to Watch
    author: Kerry Doole, Tandem News, On the Beat

    Young American singer/songwriter JEN ELLIOTT has entitled her upcoming debut CD The Secret's Out. That is prophetic, as word is spreading about her promise. She has a bright yet soulful voice, one that has drawn comparisons to SHERYL CROW and BONNIE RAITT. The album is due out on City Canyons Records in September. One to watch.

  • The Secret's Out might be the sleeper hit of 2003, or it might be the blockbuste
    author: Jason Thompson, Echo from Esoterica

    The first track called "Move" comes on. It's big. The production is sleek. The music is professional. Jen Elliott comes on and sings the holy living f***k out of the tune. I am completely flattened... What the hell just happened? Elliott has seduced me but good with one song. Maybe it was indeed her voice, one that could bring down a mountain with little effort at all. Maybe it was her way with the whole notion of a love song and how she perfectly made that whole tragedy seem brand new again. Who knows? I just know that I like this a lot. Elliott is a performer, and she handles this material excellently, never over singing a song or squashing it under her vocal dynamics. The woman knows when to cool it down as much as heat it up. And for what it's worth, the twelve tunes on this album are all worth hearing. There is literally something different about each song that needs to be heard... The Secret's Out might be the sleeper hit of 2003, or it might be the blockbuster it deserves to be...For something completely surprising, fresh, and just downright fantastic, check out The Secret's Out for yourself... Don't let this Secret remain one for long.

  • A brilliant secret is out...
    author: Spotlight newsletter, Paul Autry

    I'm gonna let you in on a little secret. You don't it know yet. But, you're going to become a fan of Jen Elliott. It's gonna happen sooner or later. One day, when you least expect it, you're gonna hear her music, which is a high energy combination of bluesy rock with an occassional pop hook. One your ears have heard this sound, you'll have the desire to hear more of what she has to offer and, before you know it, her debut album, "The Secret's Out," will be included your CD collection. Wanna know something else? You're gonna love every minute of it and this little secret that I've just told you, well, you're not gonna be able to keep it to yourself. You have my word on that. "The Secret's Out," it not just an album title...it's a soon to be proven fact.

  • author: Kage Alan, ModaMag

    The music industry seems to be spending a great deal of time these days whining about how downloading music is killing their profits, yet can't come up with a single concrete study that supports their claim. Perhaps they need to consider some of the drivel they're pushing the customer's way. You see, a release should first and foremost be about talent and quality... and have I got a debut for you! A native of Jacksonville, Florida, 25-year-old Jen Elliott has paid her dues and is about to release her first CD titled "The Secret's Out," which also serves as an appropriate announcement for the artist herself. Jen [has] fashioned an album that combines Rock, Blues and Pop all into one. The difference here is that the music doesn't overtake Jen's voice, but rather compliments it by simply letting her do what she does best; sings. What impresses me most about Jen besides the fact she's also a songwriter is that she varies her material, delivers vocally on every track and didn't include a single filler song on the entire album. I tend to be one of those annoying types who skips around to my favorites, only not with "The Secret's Out". One of the perks of this job is being able to hear some of the fresh new talent before the industry tries to swallow them up and turn them into the next Britney Spears or "American Idol" contestant. That's not to say that the singers on that show don't have talent, but they certainly aren't doing it their way. Jen Elliot is and it shows.

  • A perfect blend of musical styles!
    author: Kimberly Schedel, Inside Connection

    The first thing that struck me about THE SECRET'S OUT was the vocals. Jen Elliott's voice possess that perfect combination of raw blues and funk-driven overtones — the perfect accompaniment to a hard hitting, funky, bluesy and everything in between record. All 12 songs on this CD stay consistent and are extremely well written, lyrically and musically. THE SECRET'S OUT is a strong debut from a very talented artist.

  • Sultry, smooth, inviting
    author: Indie-Music.com, Shellie Byrum

    From the onstart, that strawberry blonde hair can only mean one thing: Fire. Jen Elliot, tresses and all, delivers music that mirrors her sizzling appearance on her debut album “The Secret's Out”....The sound is sultry, the beat smooth, and the lyrics inviting. Elliott's voice surrounds the music with a midsummer day's warmth, a sort of subtle heat that lulls the listener into an ardent spot. Her voice is strikingly similar to the 90's singer/songwriter Poe, with traces of Bonnie Raitt's twang and Ella Fitzgerald's jazz....It’s Elliott's understated sexiness behind her voice that truly brings the album to a higher level. She doesn't say, ‘you can't have me', but instead charms with a little punch behind the shy smile. In the first track off the album, an upbeat song with attitude, she sings “anywhere's better than here, take your chances baby.” Elliott doesn't exactly order you to jump off a building; she just lures you to the edge. “The Secret’s Out” has just the right mix of rock, blues and pop mingled with Jen Elliott's tempting voice.

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