Sunset’s Soundcheck: Teresajenee

I’m always satisfied when I go digging through the digital crates, but sometimes I encounter something that completely catches me by surprise. Teresajenee’s stellar mixtape, Electric Yellow, has had my full attention for the last week and a half, and I expect it’ll continue to get heavy rotation in my soundsphere for a very long time.

Teresajenee’s created a sound that’s completely new and clearly rooted in a strong sense of musicality. If it’s possible for a harmony to hug a rhythm, she has done it. And I’d say that’s what I enjoy most about her. She adds a warmth and accessibility to experimental soul without watering it down. That’s probably why “cleopatra love & war” is my personal favorite:

I wanna be weak witcha baby…

In the age of too-cool egos, it’s hard to pull off seductive and plaintive without sacrificing sincerity, but this song is dripping with it.

She glides from soultronica (“electric yellow”), to contemporary r&b (“eroplane”), to jazz (“ode to october”), and manages to maintain a cohesive sound throughout. While genre-bending isn’t necessarily a big deal these days, Teresajenee sounds completely comfortable with each sound.

Listen to “ntride,” a brief, but fulfilling jazz interlude:

And the self-produced album finisher, “peace of god,” which packs enough emotional power to convince me that I can benchpress all of my problems:

And that goes back to that warmth I was talking about earlier. Electric Yellow has music to ride to, cry to, journal to, make love to, philosophize about and on  an on…but it’s all so very Teresajenee. I really got a sense of who she is, beyond the voice and the production.
Her debut, The Ecklectic, is on her bandcamp page, and was released in 2009. I haven’t had a chance to really dig into it yet, but a cursory listen tells me it’s a satisfying glimpse into her evolution and showcases more of her soaring vocals.

Lest ye think I’m gushing because of the novelty of it all, watch this video of her singing live, just her and the keyboard, and tell me you’re not impressed and taken in by her artistry:

So get the mixtape. And the album. And stay tuned…

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