Jen Lane

With?For the Night, Jen Lane is back on her feet—literally!—and ready to be discovered
Jen Lane earned her first Prairie Music Award nomination at just 17 years old.? She got her first Western Canadian Music Awards nod at age 24, but just as she was getting ready to capitalize on her burgeoning momentum, she was sidelined by an accident that left her with a badly broken foot.? ?
Now, with the release of?For the Night, Lane is finally claiming her rightful place among the elite of Canadian roots country singer songwriters.?
It takes a lot to stand out in the crowded world of Americana female vocalists, but Lane pulls it off with aplomb on?For the Night, proving that her two previous award-nominations were no fluke. The album combines some seriously catchy songs with a laid-back cool that evokes Lucinda Williams and a pure, wistful voice that at times recalls Edie Brickell.? The arrangements are classic country, and the production—courtesy of The Odds’?Steven Drake—has a vintage feel, thanks, in part, to a near-analogue recording process.? The sound is enhanced by special guests?Kevin Kane?(The Grapes of Wrath) on electric guitar,?John Ellis?(Ridley Bent) on pedal steel,?Simon Kendall?(Stellar Band, Wyckham Porteous) on keys,?Sam Cartwright?(Stellar Band) on drums, and Drake on bass, acoustic and electric guitars, glockenspiel, autoharp, and vocals. ?It’s impossible to pick stand-out tracks from such a consistently strong album, but its more unique cuts include “Lonely Cricket,” which possesses an unusual metaphorical lyric, and “Election Day,” whose simple yet profound musings and nod to Elizabeth May sum up many Canadians’ sentiments about the 2008 election
If Lane sounds like far more mature an artist than her age would suggest, you can chalk it up to her early start in music.? You might also conclude that pregnant women who hold stereo headphones up to their bellies are onto something.? Lane’s mother ensured that Jen was well-versed in the Rolling Stones before even leaving the womb.? Lane began piano lessons in elementary school and took up guitar in grade 8.? By her teens, she was frequenting punk rock shows, then coming home and writing folk music ‘til 4am.?
Egged on by a supportive circle of friends and family members, Lane recorded a debut album at 16 and earned a Prairie Music Award nomination the following year.? Subsequent gigs included opening for an emerging Tegan and Sara in Saskatoon and Regina, even though Lane was too young to be in the bars.? Perhaps most impressively, Lane sold enough copies of that first record to fund a second one,?Injection, released in 2002.?
Her “grown-up debut” was 2006’s?Jen Lane, which was funded by a grant from the Rawlco Radio Group. It earned a Western Canadian Music Award nomination for Best Independent Album.? Lane was all set to build on the momentum with a showcase at SXSW when the aforementioned accident broke her foot so badly it took several medical procedures and countless hours of physio to repair the damage.? She still hobbled to both SXSW and NXNE to hobnob, but she was unable to maintain any kind of touring schedule.?
With the release of?For the Night, Lane is finally back on her feet—literally!—and heading out on an extensive tour to promote her outstanding new album.? At last, the rest of the country’s music fans can discover the voice Western music awards juries have been onto for several years.?