Sunday Diva/Three From The Hip: Jennifer Warnes

Sunday Diva/Three From The Hip: 

Jennifer Warnes

In my own, personal, big gay church, there is a wing dedicated to Those of the Heart. These are the singers, songwriters and muses who have spent a lifetime capturing various aspects of the human condition. Frequently, due to the whims of the music industry, their lives were not always their own... but they persevered... ultimately remaining true to their roles as seers of the heart. One such soul?

Jennifer Warnes

Recording since 1969, her journey has been unconventional.

She did, indeed, come so far for beauty. And she never took her mission lightly, or her gifts for granted. 

Her path was never the most obvious. Never the proven, the expected or the standard one.

Her intent was always clear, her purpose sure. She was there to serve the song; to bring it to life, to illuminate and enlighten.

She accomplished this with her skills and her talent; a voice, unlike any other.

Worshipping before the altar of Leonard Cohen, she sat like a bird on a wire, alert and learning. It was her right to don that famous blue raincoat... for she had danced with the master for many years.

And when art met commerce, she embraced it. To her credit? Three Oscar winning theme songs.

To this day, she continues to explore, unearthing precious gems, putting her shine upon them, and sharing them with the world. 

The gospel according to her?

Well, here are three from the hip, dropping from her lips.

The Topic: Interpreting Music

"The job of singing is to stay open to the river of soul in all its manifestations, the dark and the light, without letting your ego get in the way. I never want to be bigger than the song. I just want you to receive it."

"I was raised in Catholic school where we were given a lot of heavy literature and a dense, weighty lyric wasn't strange to me. I didn't need everything to be light and simple for me to see the beauty in it."

"In a song, you have to have a lyric that gives us new ideas on how to live, a lyric that makes us feel, and a melody that gives you some kind of body response and emotional response."

The Right Time Of The Night - Jennifer Warnes

First We Take Manhattan - Jennifer Warnes

Rock You Gently - Jennifer Warnes

And one parting shot...

"To this day, I'm not as interested in music as people think. I'm more interested in how close we can get through the music."