I've talked about my friends Jenny & Tyler several times on this blog. I first heard about them in late 2011 through The Vespers (surprise, surprise) when the two of them were guests on an episode of the band's podcast. After hearing them talk and play a little bit on the podcast, I checked out the rest of their music on their website and immediately fell in love. In March 2012, they came to Campbell, and I was able to spend a bit of one-on-one time with them because they knew I knew The Vespers and I had class during their show. From the second I started talking to them that day, I knew that they were kind, genuine, fun, and incredibly (I mean, like, really. It's absurd.) talented people. I've been a fan of theirs ever since, which is why I jumped at the chance to work merch at their show last month.
Today, I'm here to tell you about a new EP of cover songs that Jenny & Tyler are releasing. It is titled For Freedom and is available on November 12th. 11/12/13, who can forget that date? Here's the cool part, though. All of the proceeds they make from the sales of this album (EVERY. SINGLE. PENNY.) is going to charity organizations that fight human trafficking (hence the name). When they first put word out about this, I knew that I would do absolutely anything I could to help them with this project. Knowing The Vespers as well as I do, and having helped them with the fundraising for their second album, I have a bit of an idea just how expensive and time-consuming it is to make a record, so it greatly humbled and inspired me to see Jenny & Tyler taking on such a huge project only to give every bit of the money away. But something I've learned over the time that I have known these two is that these are just the kind of people they are - selfless, passionate, humble, and giving.
Since I knew I wanted to help them, I applied as quickly as I could when they opened applications for the launch team that is designed to help spread the word about For Freedom (sort of like what I did for Jeff and his book). Once accepted, I was sent a copy of the record, and as soon as I listened to it, I was all the more passionate about getting the word out. In my totally honest but slightly biased opinion, every song is absolutely phenomenal. In fact, a couple of the songs on it may be my favorites of all the work they've ever done. There are seven songs on the EP, and my two favorites are "The Scientist," originally by Coldplay, and "The Sound of Silence," originally by Simon & Garfunkel.
"The Scientist" is one of many songs whose original version was never appealing to me, but I fell in love with the Glee cover of. Ha, go figure. Jenny & Tyler's cover is, hands down, the best version of the song that I've ever heard. (Don't tell Coldplay!) Their always fantastic harmonies reach a whole new level of amazing in this song. After listening to the album all the way through the night I received it, I went back and proceeded to play this song on repeat for about 3 days straight. And every single time I listened to it, I got goosebumps. The pure and bold cello, played by Cara Fox, is my favorite part, simply because I'm a violin player and thus a strings lover by nature. They simultaneously capture the sorrow undertones of the music and the hope of forgiveness in the lyrics, leaving me with chills at their skill in the balance of the two. I simply can't get enough of this song and the way they so splendidly pulled it off.
"The Sound of Silence" is a song that they have done many times at shows, including the one I attended last month, but they remastered it for this EP. I hold the original song in very high regard because it's one of the songs I grew up singing along to with my mom, so it holds memories of sweet times. Therefore, I am generally very critical of any cover I hear, and I had never found one that, in my opinion, could hold a candle to Simon & Garfunkel's original until I heard Jenny & Tyler do it. This song was one of the highlights of their set last month for me. Well, I love this remastered version even more than that. It brings peace and joy to my heart as I think of the fond memories of singing this with my mom all the time, but it is also a solemn reminder of the reason Jenny & Tyler are selling this EP. Their voices bring me back to the fact that there are people around the world living in darkness that I can't even imagine.
Just as I never expected to be a fan of The Vespers in the beginning, Jenny & Tyler's folk roots are not something I'd ever been attracted to musically in the past. However, as a lover of good music in general, I can't help but appreciate the high quality of every song on this EP. Even if a "folk/pop duo" isn't something you think you would normally want to listen to, I strongly recommend that you check this EP out, anyway, because it is not like anything I've ever heard before and it is just THAT good. And you get the added benefit of knowing that even if this ends up not being your thing, the money you spend will be going to help people so much less fortunate than us. So either way, you'll get something good if you buy Jenny & Tyler's covers EP For Freedom when it releases on November 12th. Don't forget!
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