Karen Jacobsen
Being Brave
© 2002 Kurly Queen (SESAC) (670213238820)
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"Karen Jacobsen is the secret musical love child of Olivia-Newton John and Peter Allen"
tracks
- 1 Real
- 2 Here In My Heart
- 3 The Game
- 4 Hurt
- 5 Happy Endings
- 6 Being Brave
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Karen Jacobsen is all about connecting with people. By weaving pop piano with her passionate vocal style, she creates a powerful dynamic between herself and her audience. You can't escape the confronting honesty in her songwriting.
Karen started 2003 receiving the Abe Olman Award for Excellence in Songwriting, presented by the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the National Academy of Popular Music, and closed the year by sharing a bill with Grammy Winner Norah Jones.
Born and raised near Australia's Great Barrier Reef, Karen's career flourished in Sydney and she now lives in New York City. Her Manhattan debut performance was at The Bitter End only two weeks after her arrival. She now performs locally at The Cutting Room, The Duplex, Makor, The Triad Lounge, Ruby Fruit and she has been a featured performer at the New York Songwriter Circle, the Songwriters Hall of Fame New Songwriter Showcase, Chick Singer Night, the Storefront Theatre's New Mondays, and at the Circle of Songs Showcase in Los Angeles. Karen travels regularly to perform in clubs and Colleges throughout the U.S.
"As I Am," Karen's critically acclaimed CD is now followed by her second release, "Being Brave." A collection of the first songs she wrote after her arrival in Manhattan, the recordings are pure, intimate piano and vocal.
Karen's current success was foreshadowed by the seven year-old girl writing songs and playing classical piano. From the beginning she was drawn to songs from musical theater, the pure pop of Abba and her childhood idol Olivia Newton-John.
Recognised for her songwriting, Karen was awarded 1st Place in the Singer/Songwriter Category of the Dallas Songwriting Contest in 2002, Runner Up in the U.K. Songwriting Contest, a Finalist in the Andelle Music Song Contest, 2nd Place in the Austin Songwriter Contest, and received Honorable Mentions in the John Lennon, Billboard and Unisong International Song Contests. She was Runner Up in the Kauai Music Festival Song Contest in May 2004, and sang the National Anthem at Madison Square Garden at a New York Liberty Basketball Game, and at Fenway Park to a capacity crowd of 34 000 people.
In July of 2002, Karen performed at the Mohegan Sun Arena in CT in an all star line up including Jars Of Clay, Uncle Kracker, Spyro Gyra and Diana King at "Dare To Dream 2002 - A Concert For Hope." Filmed for an NBC Television Special, Karen co-wrote the song "Take Me With You In My Dreams" with Cheryl Beecher-Zeldin especially for the event which was held to raise money for the Bert Zeldin Foundation. The concert was telecast on NBC-TV on August 31st, 2002.
Press Quotes
"Wonderful writing...simple and clear and from the heart. Powerful, sweeping emotion."
Billy Bush, Access Hollywood, July 2002
"This voice will make you quiver. The spirit behind it is inspiring."
Jennifer Layton, Indie-Music.com, July 2002
"...her ability to craft piano pop is best showcased in the catchiness of her choruses."
Red Is All The Rage, May 2002
"...simply her playing the piano and singing in that never-seen-a-cigarette-in-her-life voice."
Jennifer Layton, Indie-Music.com, December 2001
"Karen Jacobsen is a singer's singer. She has a flawless command of her instrument."
CD Baby Reviewer, March 2002
"Almost every song is confrontational, but you can't help listening because her voice and piano playing are so hypnotically beautiful."
Jennifer Layton, Indie-Music.com, December 2001
"...undeniably earnest and commercially accessible."
Billboard Magazine, May 2001
"Her confident set...of ruminations of love gone awry, and mini-anthems touting new beginnings warmed the room."
Dave Madeloni, NorthEast Performer, March 2001
"Naked. Just Karen and her piano. If anything else on earth can be so pure, it has yet to be identified. Karen has brought her music to the realm of sublime."
Independent Songwriter Magazine, March 2002
"I don't usually like girl singers. I love this album. Enough said."
Scott Homewood, Ear Candy April 2002
reviews
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A time for being brave
author: LindaIn all of our lives there has been a time when we have been called upon to be brave,Karen has found a way to put those feelings into words and then to set them to hauntingly ,compelling music. TO listen to her sultry voice , with nothing more then her piano to accompany her is an experence that no one should miss. I have all three of her CDs and can't wait for number 4.
Simple, subtle, and sublime: category defiant & brilliant.
author: JaykeI'd really enjoyed Karen's full band CD ("Here in my heart") and her dance remixes ("Your Body Over Mine") before I checked out this CD, so when I listened to her piano / vocal recordings I was completely blown away! This CD gives me the the feeling that Karen's looked into my soul, found the thoughts I'd always tried to express but never knew how, and wrote incredible songs about them. If you haven't listened to Karen one on one before, you will want to buy "Being Brave", as well as her first recording "As I Am", to experience how this amazing singer / songwriter seems to know exactly what you are feeling and thinking. Listen to this piano / vocal version of "Here In My Heart" if you have ever experienced the pain of saying goodbye to someone you truly loved and you will immediately understand what I'm talking about. This isn't the relentlessly repetitive lyrics and "melodically anemic" stuff of today's volume driven hot top 40 radio.These recordings are a sublime expression of true emotion born of real experience. While sentiments range from sadness to excitation Karen never resort to cliche lyrics or mundane musical progressions. Her unique, fresh and honest in its approach to the topics and the music translates well to the listener. While gentle and expressive her voice is clear and powerful; her accomplished piano playing artful and subtle. This music is honest, warm, thoughtful, and completely accesable. A stellar performer, Karen Jacobsen's recording reaches beyond genres and age groups. Listen once and you'll like it; listen twice & these melodies will wind thier way into your subconscious and keep you humming for a week. And if you don't "get it" from listening to these albums then see her performing these songs live! Other than seeing U2 perform, I have never seen any artist connect so completely with their audience, in person or on CD, the way that Karen does. "Being Brave" comes close to offering you the experience of having Karen perform a private concert for you!
Intimate, Beautiful Voice
author: Joe Del PrioreNo melisma! Karen Jacobsen's intimate, beautiful voice slides effortlessly into notes minus frills or unnecessary flourishes. Breathy, at times girlish, it can build to soulful passion, conveying hurt and strength at once. Maybe Norah's got the Grammies, but Jacobsen's self-penned work is just as melodically interesting, her piano skills just as accomplished, and her stage patter far more confident than Jones. Plus, she's been doing it longer. The aching vulnerability of "Here In My Heart", as in much of her relationship themed work, is conveyed simply, but powerfully. She can glide around the scale, sustain a note, drop to a whisper. Her mastery of dynamic, as well as the pacing and well timed pauses, create mini-dramas seemingly sung only to you. The woman is such a graceful singer, much as Astaire in dance, making the difficult look easy. Jacobsen is the one you put in your cd player when you feel you're the only one wrestling with loss or if you've found that special one and want your ecstatic feelings expressed in music. Being Brave may simply involve being oneself. But isn't that many times the hardest step to take?
A Remarkable Album from a Truly Gifted and GIVING Performer
author: Shane DesmondKaren Jacobsen's album 'Being Brave' has won a permanent spot in my CD-changer. As a songwriter, Karen weaves raw emotion into each song, accomplishing a perfect balance between accessibility and uniqueness. Her lyrics are honest and moving, but never heavy-handed. It's rare to find an artist whose voice dances so naturally with the sounds of the piano, an instrument she has clearly mastered. It doesn't feel to me that she is accompanying herself in the traditional sense, but rather, she and her piano are performing a duet. Karen's voice is among the most sensuous, expressive and soothing I've heard... like warm butterscotch on cool vanilla ice cream. 'Being Brave' is a remarkable album from a truly gifted and giving performer.
5/11 Being Brave!
author: Tobias luzerne1@go.comI don't have the album Being Brave but I have the track Being Brave on tape and I must say that song stays with me it has been on my Top 40 chart of songs I listen to for several months. I haven't seen Karen recently or bought her albums yet but that one song made me a fan. I still am. Considering my interest is both the piano and keyboard Karen scores with that track.
A hauntingly beautiful voice speaking the truth about life and love.
author: E. StonerUpon seeing Karen in person, I was compelled to purchase Being Brave. Karen is an amazing artist. An awesome performer/singer & a composer whose lyrics touch your soul. Her sweet soaring vocals sing of life, love and loss in an emotionally raw style. Karen sings what we've all felt...fear of committing to a new love...a lost love so deep that it's hard to let go of...and an anthem to taking chances and finding strength in Being Brave. Karen Jacobsen's Being Brave CD is poetry.