It’s been some time since we featured Kim Jennett on our pages. We’ve followed her career since the early days of her old band, Voodoo Blood, which we caught a few times and since then, she’s shown what a force of nature she is, working with Myke Gray, touring with Revival Black and more recently, Krissy Matthews, appearing on The Voice and bringing Voodoo Blood back for another round. Nowadays, she performs under her own name and “Hell is Wherever You Are” is the debut single for her new endeavour, taking control of her own destiny and answering to no-one.
Anyone who’s heard or seen Jennett before knows what to expect – that voice. Evoking the likes of Lzzy Hale, Janis Joplin and Beth Hart, it’s otherworldly and she could easily hold her own with those three household names. Indeed, this single shows she hasn’t missed a step vocally, and as the song roars into life, so does she. Carefully balancing highs without shrieking and lows which are loaded with grit, she fills the song with passion and venom, directing it at the subject of the song. There’s also some excellent vibrato working its way through her delivery, more noticeable on the lows as she sustains the notes, almost as if she’s challenging the melody to endure as long as she can.
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Musically, it’s very much different from her previous work, dipping her toes into the alternative rock side of things. It’s not got the blues on steroids vibes of Voodoo Blood, nor does it have the modern rock sound of the 2010s in her work with Myke Gray. This is something new and fresh for her, balancing a gritty, grungy riff with pop rock soundscapes. It lurks with danger and anger yet a sense of freedom and when the chorus kicks in, well, Jennett’s made a hell of an earworm with the title making a perfect hook.
There’s definitely a sense of catharsis in this single for Jennett, both stylistically and lyrically. The latter gives a sense of closure whilst damning the toxic situation she was in and subsequently removed herself from. Likewise, she’s managed to find a new sound for herself without compromising those enviable pipes. As she cites the likes of Skunk Anansie and Avril Lavigne, you can hear those, channelling the up-tempo nature of those artists whilst injecting her own brand of grit into it for a punchy sound.
With so many bands sounding so similar (albeit most of them are great), Jennett’s been able to carve out her own niche with this song. It’s defiant in its vocals, heavy enough to warrant a headbang and catchier than a dose of the flu. Whilst Kim Jennett never went away, it’s great to hear her voice on some new material and if this is what we’ve got to look forward to, then the next song can’t come soon enough.
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“Hell is Wherever You Are” is released on 13th September
Header image by Adam Kennedy
[…] been following Kim Jennett’s career for a number of years and last week, she released the excellent new single “Hell is Wherever You Are” (video to follow […]