Review – jENNiNGS Collapse, Collide Music Reviews by Editor - May 9, 20120 No, that’s not a typo in the headline! – ed. Mary Jennings is a New York based pop artist likened to Sara Bereilles with a voice that passionately evokes emotion but is sweet enough to stay away from angry. Jennings’ music is the sort that fits teen television dramas but with enough depth to appeal to the sensitivities of any female vocal fan; it is no wonder her music has featured in soundtracks and on TV shows. Currently touring small venues around the US, Jennings’ has already picked up a following of admirers (1,235 ‘likes’ on facebook) and received very positive feedback from the press and various US radio stations. There’s no doubt Jennings could be successful in her genre, she can sing and can be sung along to. Her website features a vBlog, giving an insight into rehearsals and a glimpse of her inventive style; she is trying to be original, which is refreshing. Covering a number of very well-known songs but trying to create something different in them, giving Lil’ Wayne’s How to Love a femininity that might not seem possible if it weren’t for the way Jennings uses her harmonies to punctuate the beat and back up her vocals. Collapse, Collide is her latest album, a mix of ballads and soft pop; suited perfectly to the range of her voice. The album showcases Jennings as an accomplished vocal artist. More powerful than her previous offerings – although the rawness in her earlier music is pure and heartfelt, the tragedy from where it comes from pours out in the harmonies. Surrender, stands out on Collapse, Collide as a good soundtrack song; it would sit perfectly in ‘one of those vampire movies’. Brooding with a dark edge and encapsulating the angst of human relationships. Everlong, also gets the Jennings treatment on the album; a Foo Fighters classic and some would say, a questionable one for a female to cover. It concerned me when I noticed its listing being one of my favourite Foos songs and having seen Dave Grohl ‘ballad it up’ live on stage, it would be hard to touch it. However, it’s an interesting version, slow, guitar-free and allowing Jennings to use her voice to its full ability. If you didn’t know the song, it could stand out as one of the better ones on the album. Jennings is learning as she goes along, her music is evident of growth through triumph and pain. Her voice is expressive, pushing into the realms of Evanescence’s Amy Lee but without the inherent dramatic darkness Lee’s voice conjures. Collapse, Collide isn’t something I would ordinarily buy but it did make me want to sing along.