It must be the hopeless romantic in me that craves for the retro that makes me like this album the best in comparison to \"Faces\" and \"Moving On...\"  It could be the catchy, hooking chromatic progressions from the first notes in \"Another Day\" that reel me into the haunting Jethro Tull-like flute and power of \"How It Feels.\"  It could be the sultry, knee-buckling sex appeal of the piano and Jen\'s low, steamy vocal stylings in \"Tonight\" that make me HAVE to listen to the rest of the album.  It could also be the major detour that the album takes when Jen is vocally standing naked with nothing more than a raw, electric guitar in the very underrated \"Get Outta These Shoes.\"  It could also be the power of the Tori Amos-like piano and harmonies (that\'s what I hear) in \"Be Right.\"  And, it could be the haunting closers of \"Shakespearian Tragedy\" and \"Goodbye\" that leave me wanting more in a good way.
Either that, or it could also be the vibe that grabbed me from the flow of this album.  Either way, this album NEEDS to be heard.  See/hear for yourself.
                            Read more...
                        

                            
The Milky Way, the center of our galaxy, points toward Sagittarius, the zodiac sign depicted as a centaur skillful at archery. In Greek myth, this half-human, half-horse creature is renowned for his wisdom and healing abilities. Those born under the sign of Sagittarius are also known to be philosophical, as well as optimistic, honest and freedom-loving. 
I think Jen Porter was giving me and other listeners a clue about her strong second outing It’s About Time by wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with “Sagittarius” on the album’s cover. Just as skillful at playing piano as the centaur is with his bow and arrow, Porter is captivating by finding true purity in voice, lyric and melody. Her full-bodied voice is akin to Ani Difranco, Natalie Merchant and Bonnie Raitt, as is her style – a bold, refreshing combination of foot-tapping rock, country and folk. 
The Chicago-native spins tales of intimacy and independence, self-expression and struggle in a very womanly fashion. But no matter the subject, Porter’s instrumental experimentation is what achieves the song’s desired tone. In “Another Day,” a tune that reminds its listener of the opportunities in need of discovery, she asks “why the searching can be better than the find” and answers herself with a quickening electric guitar, while a smarting piccolo sarcastically floats through “How It Feels,” in which Porter demands a more secure and shared love. However subtle the breath of a flute, or simple the prodding of an acoustic guitar, both dramatically infuse “Dance of Time” with the simplicity and sensibility its lyrics aim to convey: 
Time is all you have and all you have to give / Patience comes to those who in their hearts can live 
Not to live with prejudice, not live with hate / Only we can determine our fate 
And if we listen to the quiet inside / It can breach the divide 
It’s About Time is simply that. In roughly 40 minutes, Jen Porter traverses our common obstacles and reminds us of what lessons they teach. Her firm and soulful voice impassions the daily routine that sometimes seems to trap us. The constellation of Sagittarius is believed to be 29,000 light years away from earth, but Porter’s words hit much closer to home.
                            Read more...
                        

                            
Jen Porter’s piano-driven, bluesy rock has a very distinctive 70’s art-prog sound. This is partly owed to the flute accompaniment on “How It Feels,” which always reminds me of Jethro Tull. Jen has a true Janis Joplin feel to her deep, soulful, very rocking voice; but you will also hear qualities of both Natalie Merchant and Tori Amos in her phrasing. “How It Feels” has a jazz swing to the beat because of her drummer’s time keeping on his hi-hat, and that adds a nice texture to this very appealing performance of a perfectly arranged song. And how can you find any fault with a woman who apparently held a crowd of 40,000 Detroit Pistons fans in rapt awe as she performed an acapella version of the National Anthem? She definitely has a voice with commercial appeal and a great band. Her songs may be a bit too good for the radio (i.e. too complex), but with more mainstream material (maybe working the Norah Jones vein) there’s no reason she couldn’t be huge.
                            Read more...
                        

                            
I've listened to it in the car driving every day since it arrived in the mail about a week ago. I heard the samples on CD Baby and there was no question. I had to have it. The more I hear it the better it gets... and the farther I tend to drive just to finish a song or two. The music is deep, earthy and definitely provokes rock and soul!
                            Read more...