Becky Schlegel – “Jenny”

In its simplicity, Becky Schlegel’s latest, “Jenny,” stands in stark contrast to the bulk of songs currently garnering airplay. She’s backed by a sparse, acoustic arrangement limited to a guitar, bass, mandolin, and light percussion, with Randy Kohrs providing harmony. It’s a study in interpretation and supportive arrangement that maximize the emotional significance of the lyric, reflecting artistry without becoming inaccessible.

“Jenny” is written from a man’s perspective with Schlegel assuming the role of the narrator, which could cause some confusion. A lot of gender role reversals have been released recently, with Rodney Crowell (”The Rise And Fall Of Intelligent Design”), Bruce Robison (”Bad Girl Blues”), Hal Ketchum (”Ordinary Day”), and Sugarland (”Genevieve”) contributing to the trend. While social implications could be derived, akin to some of the aforementioned songs, it’s a straight forward interpretation that doesn’t care about anything other the emotional impact of a particular moment in time.

Perhaps the most stunning aspect of the song, however, is Schlegel’s voice. It has an ethereal quality, similar to Alison Krauss, that exudes emotion in a way that a male singer probably couldn’t convey.

The story revolves around a man whose love, Jenny, breathes her last breath while he’s away. In his grief he’d give everything he owns just to tell her that he’s sorry for ever leaving her side and in one particularly moving verse he grieves, “Never more to roam/And never more a home/Only sweet, of sweetest memories/The penance I now pay/Is praying every day/That I can join you soon beneath the trees.”

The lyric doesn’t introduce a problem only to cloyingly provide a resolution and it doesn’t end happily wrapped in a ribbon with a pretty bow on top, but rather explores the narrator’s grief at leaving his love’s side and ends without a conclusion, leaving the details up to the listener. It’s too bad radio frowns at voices and material like this because “Jenny” truly is splendid and would provide for some much needed variety.