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Jennifer Terran Press:
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SB Independent: February 13,
1998
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Concert Review
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Show must go on for Terran: Last week's
deluge prevented both Jennifer Terran's trumpet-playing dad and the Hula-Hoop
dancer from showing up Sunday at Soho for the first of Terran's two concerts
celebrating the release of Terran's two concerts celebrating the release
of her new EP CD, "Rabbit."
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But the inclement weather didn't prevent
the abundantly talented singer-songwriter-performance artist from going
on with the show. In fact, the absence of those accoutrements might have
been a blessing in disguises, minimizing the distractions so both Terran
and her audience could focus on her engagingly quirky compositions and
disarmingly gorgeous singing.
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Despite complaining post-show of some
lingering throat irritation, both Terran's voice and her spirit were in
fine shape. Joined by Brendan Statom on double bass, Tom Lackner on drums,
sometimes Ellen Turner on vocals and the two Lauras on violin and cello,
Terran seemed to be selling the songs better than ever. The twisted metaphors
on "Fat" (Love is so fat it's going to suffocate the rats") were rendered
with staggering beauty, while the slightly retooled "Trader Joe's" stretched
its contrasting images of dissonance and egalitarianism to the max. Meanwhile,
the new songs- "Rabbit", "The Ride," and "Junkdrawer Waltz"- indicated
that Terran has lost none of her ability to tantalize, shock or soothe.
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Interestingly, Terran also reached
way back to the second song she ever wrote, a tone poem called "Fried
Food & Sugar" that deals with issues of body consciousness, which the
singer also addresses in a different way on the new record, starting with
the cover shot. A glamorous Terran poses fetchingly, thick red lipstick
covering her parted lips, an image that is far from her normal presentation.
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The answer lies in the title song.
Inspired by her cat catching a rabbit on the night of her 1996 CD release
party, it brought up a lot of issues for Terran. "In some cultures, rabbit
is a symbol of fear, and the experience was very meaningful…
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By Steven Libowitz
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SB Independent
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