Concert Review: Jennifer Daniels at Crimson Moon in Dalonega
So last night, I made the trek up to Dahlonega for the pleasure of seeing Mrs. Jennifer Daniels perform at the Crimson Moon. In Georgia, Dahlonega is known for its gold mining heritage and its quaint, laid back, small town soul. The Appalachian Mountains are literally growing under your feet as day tourists mill about for a slice of the simpler life. While I’m no stranger to Dahlonega (they hold a 15K there yearly that’s a killer — literally), this was my first time partaking of the Crimson Moon. It was a homey coffee house decked out with communal tables and comfy couches. The smell of incense rested in the air as Zero 7’s tunes bobbed around. Then it was time. Time for Jennifer to do the thing she does best.
Now it’s only fair that I start out with a disclaimer. I’ve been having a passionate love affair with Jennifer’s music ever since I saw her for the first time at the Open Mic Shootout winners show (number 3 concert of all time). It’s not your traditional affair. I don’t send the music obscene bouquets of flowers or doodle its name on my notebook. But I am constantly cheating on my new CDs by smuggling Jennifer’s Fists of Flood or Summer Filled Sky into the front of the daily listening queue. So with that said and my objectivity a resounding question mark, I’ll do my best to tell it like it is and resist the temptation to slide her in the front of the line this go around.
Jennifer Daniels comes to us from Lookout Mountain, Tennessee and plays a style of folk that bridges the musical gap between pop, rock and even a pinch of Celtic flavor tossed in to give it that special zing. If you need a frame of reference for her sound, it’s pretty safe to file her away in the album bin beside the passionate ladies that formed Lilith Fair.
Jennifer launched right into the semi-new “Love Me” to start the evening. As she sang, her eyes lit up birthing that infectious smile that quickly spread through the crowd. There is no question she is really passionate about her music, and she’s just plain having fun up there. She never lost that kid inside her who can find happiness sparked from the smallest things. Factor that in with her striking looks and limitless talent, and this girl’s got sex appeal to spare. Her vocal range is incredible. During “Stay,” it sounded like she was jabbing holes through the ceiling. Her body just gets taken over by the rhythm, never more so than with “Rage.” Stomping out the demons from the floorboards, she flat out tore up that guitar, seething with unadulterated rage. It seemed strangely cathartic. What was also special about her set were the asides connecting songs. Most artists fiddle with their guitar to get it in tune, but Jennifer uses that time as her mini confessional booth where she lets the secrets of these songs loose. It’s like sitting down talking with an old friend as you hear about her mom’s labor pains (“Tattoo”) or trudging down the Riverwalk after a particularly crappy evening (“I Don’t Have Enough”). The distance between listener and audience is instantly swallowed up until we’re all great friends.
Her husband, Jeff Neal, perfectly compliments her stunning vocal force onstage. He is an extremely talented guitarist that really pulls together all of the elements behind the scenes. He seems very content to sit just left of the spotlight to let Jennifer shine.
I can truly say there were only three things that took away from the evening and they’re all nip picky things. First, I have mixed feelings about the small crowd — 25 to 30. Logistically speaking, the coffee house couldn’t have packed many more in and there was a certain coolness in being able to see people discovering Jennifer for the first time. On the same vein, it lacks that amazing energy that you get with a packed house at Eddie’s Attic, where everyone is hanging on her every note. Second, I was keen to hear a couple new songs, but it wasn’t to be. Yeah I was that kid that spent hours devising how to open my Christmas presents without anyone being the wiser. Lastly, the sound guy had a thing for echoing her voice that was kind of distracting. You don’t need special effects and clever sleight of hand when you’ve got the real deal on stage. Leave those cheap tricks for Ashlee Simpson.
From what I could tell, everyone had a great time setting into this quaint venue to allow Jennifer to wow us with her unending talent for a couple hours. Well there was that one crotchety old guy who mumbled something at the front register about this not being ragtime Dixie, but he also had a forest of hair growing out of his ears. With all that fur, I’m surprised he could tell music was even playing.
In my mind only David Ryan Harris sits on the same level talent wise when discussing the best unsigned indie artists in music today. They both possess such an enigmatic stage presence that can rival any musician — indie or arena sellouts. I’ll admit she hasn’t quite figured out how to package up that incredible stage show so that energy translates seamlessly onto the studio albums, but she gets closer with each release. Give yourself a huge musical treat and checkout her concert calendar to see when this bottled ray of sunshine is going to be lighting up your neighborhood. This is a show not to be missed. Also, swing by CD Baby to pickup her album Summer Filled Sky or Dive and Fly. You get to hear two-minute streams of each track for free and all proceeds go to helping Red Cross effort dealing with the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.
Set List
Love Me * Dive & Fly * Oatmeal * Stay * Mary’s Song * She Returned * Babylon * Tattoo * I Don’t Have Enough * Daylight
[Intermission] Ohio * Spiderman * He Dances * Julie * Rage * Day to Live * Conversations with Magdalene * Welcome to Your Life
[Encore] In My Coat * Ain’t That Good News * Tremblin