jean mann

Songs for all the days is Jean Mann's ninth cd offering since her first one in 2000, and what a clever cd this turned out to be. 
Noted as an alt-folk indie-pop singer songwriter she can now add country and jazz to her genres and engineering to her skills.

The cd has 9 original and three cover songs. Two of the 9 originals are instrumentals which is a surprise and totally different from anything else on the cd. Is that a bad thing? 
No, not at all although the cd closer "Lull" does take some getting used to but she gets away with it because like most of the album it's all so cleverly done.

"Would you like to listen to my new cd?" she asked to which I replied "Of course I would" and she handed me a personal copy. 
Later as I had put the cd into the player and it was already into it's 5th song I kind of remembered her asking me to please listen to it with my headphones on but was to busy to do so. 
Later she asked if I would be so kind as to write a review for the cd and I, again, agreed, not knowing the journey she would take me on.

For a review I usualy listen three to four times to the whole cd before approaching each song seperately. 
Upon writing this I am already well into my, at least, 10th listening. all of them with my headphones on. 
I immediatly LOVED 11 of the 12 tracks on the album. For me to go into detail of all the songs would make a twelf chapter book wich is way to much fo a review, and therefor will do no such thing. 
However, how can I not say something about the second track on the album. 
"Let me sleep in your arms tonight" is a song written by Rachel Harrington and knowing it well was not prepaired for the version that Jean Mann managed to lay down. Boy oh boy what a great cover making it totaly different from the original version without changing it beyond recognition. It's just so, so, so good.

And how can I not say anything about track 5 from the album named "Thread", impossible. A lovely Jazzy tune sung so delicately by Jean. 
I know there will be a lot of people not agreeing with me, but if ever there was a song that could have been covered by Eva Cassidy this is it. 
Unfortunately we will never know but I will keep this song very close to my heart.

"Do you feel at home" is the tenth track on the cd and a perfect excample of how good a song can be. 
How lush the sound can be with just one vocal, an acoustic guitar, an electric bass and percussion.

Songs for all the days by Jeanious Man

Peter van Zeijl has hosted shows on Radio Winschoten and Dollard Radio and has hosted 392 live shows at his restaurant venue "Podium Cafe Peter en Leni" in the Netherlands. Now retired to Portugal.