Jen Ambrose Talks New Album, Songwriting And More

Singer/songwriter, Jen Ambrose shares a rich blend of Blues, Jazz, Rock, Soul and Americana music that characterize her songwriting diversity. Her latest album ‘Plenty Of Nothin’ To Do’ is out now and she talked to us about the new record, songwriting and more:

When did you begin songwriting?

As a child, I would write short instrumental pieces on piano, flute, oboe and violin and I also wrote poetry. I started songwriting while I was studying Anthropology in college. My first completed song was for a short theatre performance about being in a war bunker. After that I took a songwriting class and started learning guitar and have been songwriting ever since.

What is your earliest musical memory?

I have a few memories. My earliest is a vague recollection of my Mom singing with me. She had a beautiful voice and used to perform in musicals before getting married. She may have inherited her singing talent from her Dad, my Nanu (Grandfather). He also loved singing. When my younger sister and I were quite young we make trips to see Nanu and my Nana (Grandmother). During our visits, we’d go with them to church and Nanu would bring his little Granddaughters upstairs to sit with him when he sang with the church choir. It made us feel very special.

Maybe that’s why was when I was 4 years old I asked to join our church choir. I remember being asked if I could read music. I said I could not but promised that I would learn. Reluctantly they let me in, despite being the youngest person in the choir.

Your single ‘Under Your Spell’ is out now. What was the inspiration/story behind the track?

The inspiration for Under Your Spell is the town where I grew up – Elmira, NY. Every small town has it’s local watering hole and this song is a shout out to one of those bars called Kingsbury’s.

The uptempo, playful feel of the song became a healing balm for me. I wrote Under Your Spell after being back to support my parents with their end of life care.

The song is about trying to leave and make a new start in life but being pulled back by someone unforgettable. Like me, Kingsbury’s is no longer there, but sometimes I feel a strange nostalgia for that place, for the smell of stale beer and for the people who used to be a part of that time and place.

The track is accompanied by an official music video. What was the thought process behind the video and who directed it?

This has a rather interesting back story. I shot this video with my very talented and visionary friend, Antonio Melendez with Heartisan Films (https://www.heartisanfilms.com/). He and I brainstormed a loose story line and filmed this scenes throughout Southern Oregon including Jacksonville, OR and a highlighting some of the notable murals in Medford, OR. I also brought in some of my friends, fans and musical colleagues for the scenes.

One predominant theme in this video is about alcohol. I have a particular liking for whiskey, but decided to stop drinking after being diagnosed with vocal polyps. In 2021, the West Coast was engulfed in severe heat and wildfires. I had a busy performance schedule that summer at mostly outdoor venues. Repeatedly singing in the smoke and hazardous air quality did damage to my vocal cords and caused polyps. I was devastated. I was forced to take a break from singing to heal my voice. Since I couldn’t sing, I decided to make a series of music videos with Antonio in preparation for my album release. Fortunately, I successfully healed my voice (with no surgery) and I am back to singing again.

This experience really set the tone for the creation of my official video for Under Your Spell.

You have also released your new album ‘Plenty Of Nothin ’To Do’ which is out now. How did you want to approach the making of the album?

This approach to this album was all about collaboration. This was my first experience co-writing music. Ken Orsow is my co-writer, vocal coach, producer and friend. Our work together was critical to the creation of this work. We had songwriting sessions where I would bring in a skeleton of a song, or maybe he would have a riff or a song concept. Next we bounced ideas back and forth, working through phrasing, chording and paring down the song into its completed form. I believe having someone else to share ideas really helped the songs be as well-written as they could be.

The spirit of collaboration continued into the instrumentation and mixing process. Ken has some dear friends in Los Angeles that he has known and worked with for decades. These folks became the musicians on this album. His friend Richard Bredice played the exceptional electric guitar parts and is the primary Engineer on this project. After the tracks were laid, Ken and Richard would review the mix, remotely, from their own studios. Then Ken would bring the mixes to me and we’d review those until we got to the best sound for each song.

I believe the collaborative spirit and approach to this album really brought out a great sound in these songs.

Where did you record the album and who produced it?

I recorded my vocals and scratch acoustic guitar tracks at Ken Orsow’s home studio in Ashland Oregon. He then transferred the tracks down to Richard Bredice to his studio in Los Angeles. It was there that the musicians were brought into the studio to record their parts.

Ken Orsow and Richard Bredice both produced this album.

Do you have any interesting, funny or memorable stories from the recording sessions?

Recording part of this album during COVID made this experience so poignant for me. Creating something positive and alive when the world was facing so much loss was a true gift to hold on to through such uncertain times. It was a lifeline that gave my life direction and purpose through such difficult days.

Did you use any particular instruments, microphones, recording equipment to help you get a particular sound/tone for the record?

I really enjoyed laying down my vocals in Ken’s studio. He was utilizing this time to experimenting with my vocal sound on a variety of mics and processors. We finally decided on Sound Deluxe U95 mic through a Manley Vox box pre amp into a LA2A compressor into a Lynx I/O module interface. The goal was to bring out as much vocal clarity, warmth, depth and presence in my vocal performance.

Who was in the band on the album recording?

Jen Ambrose – Lead Songwriter, Lead Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Flute

Richard Bredice – Electric Guitar, Ukulele, Mixing Engineer

Frank Cotinila – Drums

Alan Deremo – Electric Bass, Upright Bass

Gordon Greenley – Tenor, Alto and Bass Saxophone

Ken Orsow – Co-Songwriter, Acoustic Guitar, Keyboards, Backing Vocals

Crystal Reeve – Violin

Dave Witham – Keyboards, B3

Was it a difficult album to write?

Both yes and no.

This album was NOT difficult to write in that Ken and I had a wonderful rapport working together. Almost half the songs on the album were written specifically for this album and the rest of the songs I had already begun to develop and then brought them into our collaboration to be honed and expanded upon. The creative exchange was really rewarding and pretty fluid.

However, the difficulty came in the form of COVID. It sometimes became challenging to write together during lockdown. That presented its own logistical challenges such as finding the safest way to meet together for our songwriting sessions. Sometimes we collaborated over the phone or behind plexiglass walls. Also the recording process became challenging. It’s hard to mask while singing, so we had to be extra careful with our approach to being in the studio at the same time.

Who created/designed the album artwork?

The cover photo was taken in the smokey summer haze by Craig Alan. The back photo was taken at a gig by Bradley Cook (for some years he traveled with and photographed f Buddy Guy).

For my album design, I wanted a retro feel based on old blues album cover art. I found some interesting Wood Block fonts to use and liked the teal and gold color scheme – as a shout out to the earlier blues artists that I have great reverence and appreciation for.

I pressed my album with Oasis Duplicating and they worked with my ideas to put the album artwork together.

Which of your new album tracks hear you at your a) happiest, b) angriest and c) most reflective?

Happiest: Under Your Spell

Angriest: Heart of Stone

Most Reflective: Love & Money

What two things do you hope to have achieved once you have left the stage?

1. Connecting with my audience. The opportunity to reach folks at a visceral and emotional level is most important to me.

2. Sonic clarity. Creating a balance between the voice and instruments with as much intention as I can bring to the music. I strive to share my music with as much expression and nuance as possible in the intentional way I sing but also in the way I approach my instruments.

Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals, microphones etc?

I have a couple of different set ups.

For my solo set up:

Martin Auditorium w/cut away

Taylor 12-String

Jupiter Alto Flute

Powell Concert C Flute

Boss RC50 looping pedal station – I input my loops of my acoustic guitar and vocals

Boss TR-2 Tremelo Effect – for my acoustic guitars

Boss DD-8 Digital Delay – also for my acoustic guitars

Electro-Voice 520 – for my main vocal

LR Baggs DI Para Acoustic Pre-amp – brings out a good tone on my 6-string

Sennheiser e 865-S – secondary vocal mic for looping. The on-off switch is essential so that I can turn off the mic when not recording

my vocals. Otherwise, the vocals bleed into my looping pedal when I’m laying down guitar loops.

Electro-Voice Evolve 50M Portable Column PA System

Gold tipped 1/4 inch and XLR cables – to get the best tone going into my system

Band set up:

I use my Fender Telecaster with my Tremelo and Digital Delay. To my vocal I add the TC-Helicon Mic Mechanic 2 Vocal Effects Pedal to add reverb and effects to my voice and flute work.

Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?

As mentioned earlier, my hometown is Elmira, NY.

1. Historical

2. Beautiful

3. Post-Industrial

4. Striving

5. Conflicted

How do you look after your voice?

After healing from vocal polyps, I take great care with my voice and have learned some lessons:

1) I keep hydrated – plenty of clean water!!

2) Vocal lessons. My work with Ken is invaluable to maintaining and increasing my vocal range and singing properly on top of the vocal cords rather than straining and pushing my voice

3) Vocal misting to also hydrate the cords

4) Eating well, getting rest when I can and walking or running to maintain my physical strength

You are given the opportunity to write the score for a film adaptation of a novel that you enjoy. Which novel is it and why?

One book that I read recently is by Jodi Picoult called Leaving Time. The central character is a girl searching for her missing Mother. The story touches deeply upon the quest for connection and identity and is mirrored in the profound family and emotional bonds between elephants. This story also speaks to the very gossamer veil between life and death.

Musically, I think there would be room for a lot of cinematic builds but also songs that speak to taking risks in loving and life but also learning to let go of that you love the most.

Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations?

I am deeply influence by British classic rock – notably Zeppelin, Stone, Beatles. But my deeper dive behind those artists takes me back to the last turn of the century in the States – particularly the Blues and Jazz artists, many of whom are from the Delta region of Mississippi, and especially the female artists: Big Mama Thornton, Billie Holliday, Bessie Smith, Etta James, Ella Fitzgerald. Bonnie Raitt is also a big influence.

Do you have any live dates planned in the UK/Europe in 2024/2025?

Not yet. Any suggestions for venues?

What makes Jen Ambrose happy and what makes you unhappy?

HAPPY: What makes me most happy is having the time and space to dive into my music and share it with the world. Also taking time with my partner, family, animal friends and walking in nature.

UNHAPPY: What makes me unhappy? Your primary audience is in the UK. I’m in the States. What makes me most unhappy just happened in the US on November 8. Need I say more?

Feature Image Photo Credit: Craig Alan

Jen Ambrose’s new album ‘Plenty Of Nothin’ To Do’ is out now.

Official Website: https://www.jenambrose.org/

LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/JenAmbroseMusic