Reviewer: Indie Music Reviews, www.indie-music.com

Jenn Lindsay is a New York City-based singer-songwriter with a lotta something to say. Even better, she always finds an interesting, attention-getting way to say it. The 13 tunes on her new release "Gotta Lotta" are energetically and confidently conveyed by Jenn's elastic and expressive soprano. Whether pushing the envelope or retreating into something softer, the vocals remain very sweet. Lyrically, well, much of it sounds as if it could be autobiographical (although it's never safe to make a blanket assumption). There are references to being poor, hungry, stuff that happens in the music biz -- some of it quite poignant, too. (If it helps here, Jenn is a San Diego transplant.) The tunes themselves speak volumes: The opener "Red Shirt," which also includes some nice acoustic guitar stylings and nice harmony vocals (liner notes mention Casey Holford on 12-string and vocals), is a nice tune: "Smart and poor don't go so far Downtown floats around... Hold me close I don't want to leave you But I'm too long from home... Hand me that red shirt I showed ya ..I don't belong here... ...New York's cold It's fierce, freezin' cold My heart's being told and told... I've seen worse and this ain't nothin.' I know i can breathe through pudding..." And while Jenn's voice is really nice, the next cut, "Fangs and Fur," brings out a tiny little scratch in her voice which somehow makes it even nicer. And the melody actually borders on cute. Fifth on the list is "I Am Not Going Home Yet." THIS is the one that sounds like a NYC musician who is dead set on making it. It's almost like a soft "rant" with a bit of urgency in the voice and in the strumming: "Mom called the morning of the latest plane.. and said 'Why don't you just come home... It's quiet here, you won't pay no rent. You're so hungry, it'll kill ya dead.' And later in the sway of the subway car ...I look at the faces that made it this far... folks with babies and jobs and cars... and i think that I Can't Go Home Yet. ...I've been in New York about seven months. I've seen a life worth of crazy stuff Like the things that mattered on Sept. 10 Things that still matter like payin' the rent..." And it goes like that throughout the CD -- just one clever song after another. "I Stayed Home Today," is yet another tune with some not-so-subtle undertones of having a rough time. Then it borders on morbid. "...My roommates are in Italy The apartment is empty. Maybe they won't come back. Maybe their plane will crash, And ill have to get over that..." Then, things look a bit better... "...Maybe I should learn to deal with people, because that's what's real. I'm good at being alone..." There is some hope though -- "...Now my food is on the stove And I am right here all alone Happy to be on my own. I'll paint a chair, unplug the phone Think of ways I've lost and won Been one boy away from doin' somthing dumb... Happy to be on my own... Listen to Rufus Wainwright straight to daylight..." Then, to show her quirky sense of humor, there's "Retrospective. In Out In Out" -- a really strange backward masking tune with some chuckling and voice over (hers) sprinkled throughout...(even her laugh is cute) Basically, it seems Jenn Lindsay shouldn't be having a tough time by any stretch. After all, what's not to like?

--Les Reynolds