There are some things you just can’t fake.
Take the lush three-part harmonies that are a trademark of the Wailin’ Jennys trio. The distinctive sound has not only won the trio a solid fan base in its native Canada (two of the three members hail from that country) but an ultra-loyal one in the United States and beyond.
If you go
The Wailin’ Jennys
Where: The Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria
When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday [4.10]
Info: $29.50 tickets SOLD OUT at press time; tickets may be available from online resellers; birchmere.com
“[Garrison Keillor, host of ‘A Prairie Home Companion’] just really appreciates the three-part harmonies,” Nicky Mehta said of the many times the trio have been guests on the show. “We are so lucky; it’s such a fantastic thing to be guests as regularly as we have.” Although the band’s chart-topping hits and critics’ acclaim has won it a loyal following, Mehta said that many fans have found their way to the group through the show. The group, which was founded in 2002, just sees its audience grow the more they are on.
“It’s the exposure,” Mehta said. “We will go into a town we have never played before and be sold out.”
That’s certainly happening now although the group’s new album is likely months from a release date. The sound, said Mehta, is still under the roots umbrella but with all of the different formats that have influenced the members. Expect to hear jazz, pop, Celtic and other sounds in the new album that was produced by Mark Howard, who also has worked with Lucinda Williams, Bob Dylan and other legendary artists.
“We just wanted to change things up a bit,” Mehta said, praising David Travers-Smith who produced past albums for the trio. “There’s a grittiness and a looseness in this new work. We also ended up working with new musicians, people that he brought to us. That’s always great for creativity. It’s got a very smoky kind of lush vibe.”
Of course the trio’s three-part harmonies will be in full evidence on the album and Mehta fully expects the fans to embrace the new sound.
“The three-part harmony is the constant with us,” she said. “We find if it’s a really good blend vocally [fans are positive], and they’re eager to hear the new interpretation of things.
In late June, the Wailin’ Jennys plan to again guest on “A Prairie Home Companion.” Those performances have become true labors of love for the trio.
“Performing on the same show as Bonnie Raitt, who is a personal hero of our, and finding her to be a lovely, down to earth person … meeting and also singing with Meryl Streep … those are certainly high points for me.”
