A blend of quirky pop with keen jazz harmonies and lush lyrical content

16 MP3 Songs
POP: Quirky, JAZZ: Jazz-Pop

Show all album songs: Over the Edge Songs


Details:
Multi-instrumentalist whose background comes through loud and clear in her song writing. The music is like pop that's been peppered by jazz. A human rights advocate all her life, she has performed at numerous demonstrations and organized events to raise awareness. Many of her songs explore the issues of human nature and the humility of the human condition.
Anyone who has experience with a 12 step program will enjoy this music. She is the Mother of two boys and musical partners of 12 years with her husband Martyn van Remmen.


2007 Quotes from those who love Jessica Erlendsonâs âOver The Edgeâ:

"I'd have to say Jessica Erlendson's latest release easily aligns itself in the Canadian singer-songwriter category that transverses rock, pop, and folk with a little bit of jazz and soul thrown in for good measure. I am especially fond of the tune "Perpetual Motion" for its playful sonic experimentation and melodic vocal overlays. RIYL: Sarah Slean, Ani DiFranco, Falconhawk, Rachelle van Zanten."
Christine Leonard â CJSW radio â nocturntable

âMany folk have found funk therapeutic, though few have found therapy funky. Jessica Erlendson's eponymous debut is a brisk pop talking cure. Erlendson tells about her revelations. The text is chatty ("I looked up and there you were/ Choose your companions wisely"). The songs are genre catchers, like the Bee Gees at the Carnival-esque crooning in Shine a Light, or Lilac Festival, featuring a snarl bitch Sleater-Kinny riff on acoustic guitar. As the daughter of jazz legend Bob Erlendson, daughter Jessica's lifetime of musical immersion has taught her how to wake up an old style and make it dance.

With influences ranging from Stevie Wonder to Joni Mitchell, Erlendson's songs frame lyric arguments in solid grooves. The arrangements are lush, dripping with extra percussive and vocal touches, including some of the best backup vocals in recent Canadian indie recording history. Every tune is an evocation of personal victory, while the beats are diverse and groovy and infectious. A native of Toronto, Erlendson is a complex companion with her own soundtrack.â
John Keillor â freelance writer â CBC/National Post music critic