A CONTAGIOUS VIBE: Jenny Teator and the Fevers

Catch the Fever

By Hilary Scott

 

COLUMBIA, Mo 4/10/14 (Review) -- Although Jenny Teator and The Fevers came together in 2013, their self-titled debut album has the cohesive, mature sound of a band that knows what it wants.  

What you'll want after listening is to get up and move.  The album captures the energy of a live performance without compromising the clarity of a studio recording. 

 

Good at inviting you into a song, Zach Harrison (lead guitar), Bradley Leatherman (rhythm guitar and vocals), Ted Paletta (keyboard and vocals), Cy McConnell (bass), Rob Watson (drums), and Jenny Teator ( lead vocals and acoustic guitar) dip confidently into multiple genres, Teator’s fluid and energetic voice at the helm.

 

The band's lyricist, Teator often writes the songs herself -- first on guitar.   This creative first pass is no solo effort, however.   Teator describes it as cooperative but improvisational, a magic ingredient that makes the album's stylistic variations stand out. 

"Some of our songs have come out of the [jams we start each practice with]," she explains.   "When we hear something we like, we stop -- and start to structure the song accordingly."   With the group's talent for arrangement, The Fevers achieve a notably distinct first few seconds that sets each song on its own musical plane.

Jenny Teator and The Fevers muses about the challenges and pitfalls of love and passion on several tracks.  Track two's "Pool of Love," suggests that while the "pool" could be a love both surrounding and deep, it may also be dangerous enough to drown the beloved.

Track three, "Give Me a Sign," has an infectious chorus with great vocal harmonies and soulful changes.

 

The more down-tempo "Isabelle," (Track 5) stands out lyrically as intimate, and instrumentally as almost psychedelic.   Paletta's mood-changing keyboard work -- notable throughout the album -- peaks on "The Intern," the band's stylistic dip into pop-gospel.

 

The album's closing track, "What I Need" is a rousing rocker that displays the Fevers' individual talents and their ability to work well as a team.

A member of Home Tone Records' impressive roster of Columbia artists, The Fevers recorded and mastered their debut at The Mansion with help from Bruce Barkelew, Adam Roehlke and Wes Wingate.

 

Listened to live, the album's vibe may be as contagious as the band's name suggests.   Catch the fever yourself Friday, April 18th at The Bridge.


Now living in St. Louis, internationally-known vocalist, songwriter, and musicianHilary Scott (Gennaro) is the Columbia Heart Beat music reviewer.  By way of disclosure, she has worked with Home Tone Records in the past. 

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