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HOLY TULSA THUNER IS AVAILABLE AT DATAPANIC.COM, ITUNES, AND AMAZON.COM
Beau Jennings may hang his hat in Brooklyn these days, but the subject matter of his carefully crafted songs on his solo debut, Holy Tulsa Thunder, remain tied to his home state of Oklahoma. After releasing two full length records with his New York twang-rock collaboration, Cheyenne, Jennings called upon longtime friend and producer Chad Copelin (Bishop Allen, The Umbrellas) to record this album. All the songs on Holy Tulsa Thunder were recorded live in Copelin's Oklahoma studio, using pianist Ryan Lindsey (Starlight Mints), and the rhythm section of drummer James McAlister and bassist Jeff Shoop (both of whom backed Sufjan Stevens on his Illionois tour). All the musicians grew up around Tulsa, passing hot summer days at Bell's Amusement Park, the demise of which is a recurring theme throughout the ten song record.
To settle any potential controversy, Beau Jennings is still the frontman for Cheyenne. However, how Jennings had the time to write melodies this brash and beautiful while playing and recording non-stop with his original outfit, the world may never know. The once ever-changing group of musicians comprising Cheyenne has now solidified, and Jennings says he "just needed a new outlet for songs that don't fit the band's now firm lineup and sound."
Occasionally channeling the energy of young Bruce Springsteen, other times the delicate vocals of Jeff Tweedy, Jennings has quietly crafted an Americana masterpiece with Holy Tulsa Thunder. It's Nebraska through a Being There kaleidoscope. It's a late night requiem for the lost stomping grounds of youth that forever stand tall in our memories. It's a drinking record. Pour yourself a whiskey and give it a spin!
Beau Jennings in the Press:
Music comes at us from all directions. Sometimes a short review will catch your eye and lead to an overwhelming discovery. Other times a new band seems promising, and then one of its members takes off on their own. That's Beau Jennings. The Oklahoma native has a name that sounds like he should come from that state, but his music is as big as America. He made two albums with Cheyenne, and both are striking collections of personal perceptions. But it's Jennings' solo debut that makes you think here's someone who is creeping right up to the edge of greatness, and with any luck could easily cross over. This isn't roots music, unless you consider the entire cosmos the backyard. It's more like the singer-songwriter has his head tuned into a prairie radio capable of receiving every kind of American music there is. Jennings' job is to distill it down to his own creation--and he does. There's always been a scene in his part of Oklahoma, which is where The Holy Tulsa Thunder was recorded, and while it might range from J.J. Cale to the Flaming Lips, that's not as wide as you first might think. Artists from this area don't have as much to compare themselves to, so coloring outside the lines is easier because there aren't as many lines. And if every great album has one song that reflects its highest mark, here it's "In My Veins Again." It's like a midnight ride across an empty landscape, the moon and stars so bright they feel like floodlights and fill the heart with hope, even if delusion is riding shotgun: "I told her I loved her/it was on the first date/she didn't believe me/it wasn't true anyway/sometimes you say what you think/might help get you in/or what makes you feel in your veins again." Like life, there are no easy answers on this album. But that doesn't stop the questions from being asked by someone who means it. No Beau, no show.
- Bill Bently, Sonic Boomers
I suppose there is no shortage of them, those that call themselves singer-songwriter's, and certainly shortage of them which would list their myspace genres as "Rock/Country/Folk," but this shouldn't stop us from enjoying the ones that excel at their craft, familiar though it may be, right? Beau Jennings is a pretty special one in this field. He exists somewhere between the dustbowl americana Josh Ritter taps for inspiration and the 50's rock n' roll which fills the jukebox of your local inland interstate diner. While this still may not sound like anything terribly original I'd encourage you to give Tulsa Sound or The Opolis a listen and not find yourself hunting the repeat button. Those of you who preferred Bright Eye's matured, world-traveler, folk-rock direction on Cassadaga to his earlier more angst-ridden offerings, for example, will likely find Mr. Jennings' work quite satisfying. There's a cast of notable players including James McCalister and Jeff Shoop (Sufjan), Ryan Lindsey (Starlight Mints), and production by Chad Copelin (The Umbrellas, Bishop Allen). If you're still not sold give the track below a listen and call me in the morning.
-Hard To Find A Friend
Plenty of folks from flyover land move to Brooklyn (this author included) to take their chances in our little indie rock mecca, but so few acts retain a sense of place. Music is generally music, whether it's from Omaha or Terre Haute (proponents of the "Terre Haute Sound" notwithstanding), but don't tell Beau Jennings. He's a man clearly still living on Tulsa time His easygoing, ingratiating sound is distinctly plains state, and his new CD, Holy Tulsa Thunder, is less a thunderstorm and more a refreshing summer rain. It's music for people who have the wherewithal to drive down the endless grid of Oklahoma back roads, so it might actually find a more welcome audience in NYC where doing anything of the sort is a pleasant, distant fantasy.
- The Deli Magazine
The frontman of Cheyenne, Beau Jennings, has released this crop of tunes as a solo album because they allegedly did not fit with the sound of his main project. In honesty there is little difference between these songs and Cheyenne songs. In execution they have perhaps a more southern boogie/Americana feel sounding at times like Neil Young channeling Lynyrd Skynyrd. Jennings' voice has the timbre of Jeff Tweedy. Overall, this is a fine collection if alt-country is your thing. There are some fine examples of said genre included on this recording. Take "Girl From Oklahoma" for instance, a song that was born in the country but has gotten used to living in the city. It looks back to a time when things were simpler, when fun could be found by hunting down a "strange old bar" and having a few drinks. The claim on the press notes is that this is a drinking album and this is quite true. A bottle of sour mash, a sunny day, and this record would make fine bar-fellows indeed.
– Pop Matters
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