For me & my guy
author: Gretchen A.
I like Jenny Bienemann so much, I bought two of these at the same time, one for me and one for my guy. Finally, intelligent music by someone who can sing! And yes, her cover of "I Wanna Be Sedated" is as inventive and clever and musically interesting as you think it is, but the other songs are just as wonderful. Stop reading the reviews and buy this one, already! :-D
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Offbeat charm and wit...complex enough musically to really reward many listens.
author: Waterbug Website
This album I found just browsing at Waterbug site and took a chance on it. Boy, I'm glad I did. She has a lot of insight and stuff to say about life, relationships, and wry observations that I suppose are 'folk'
music, but also seem to relate to Broadway writers like Sondheim, or even before. Also the arrangements are intriguing, interesting-- with an eye to Joni Mitchell (like the "Hejira" period Joni) and not too disimilar to Vicki Pratt Keating, but her own spin as well. I like the offbeat charm and wit, but there's a lot of serious stuff here as well, and complex enough musically to really reward many listens. I think if you like any of those other artists, Susan Werner, Annie Gallup, Christine Lavin, and such, you'll probably dig Bienemann.
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Singular sonics, lush lyrics, perfect production. Outstanding!
author: James F. Curley
Late Night Elaborations is a sonic treat; rich lyrical content delivered in an excellent envelope of sound! Every track, including Cupola, which was recorded live, displays great, present, sparkling production values that serve as a pristine backdrop for Ms. Bienemann's acrobatic vocals. Tracks like 'Downpour' and 'Why Didn't You' have a resonant strength provided by rich background vocals, sparse appropriate instrumentation and dead-on lyrics. This is a record worthy of many, many repeat listenings, both actively and passively. I'll be listening to it years from now, I'm sure.
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Hip guitar riffs, vocal overlays and idiosyncratic pacing lend the project the f
author: Andrew Calhoun, Waterbug Records
Wonderful songwriters don't always make wonderful recordings. Chicagoan Jenny Bienemann's "Late Night Elaborations" is a happy exception - a daringly produced, sparkling sonic delight. Her songs are fresh and honest, falling somewhere between winking innocence and worldly detachment - life isn't easy, but it's really okay. With each lyric firmly grounded in the everyday, Bienemann's hip guitar riffs, vocal overlays and idiosyncratic pacing lend the project the feel of a dream sequence. An entrancing disc!
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