Beau Jennings

Beau Jennings may hang his hat in Brooklyn these days, but the subject matter of his carefully crafted songs on his solo debut, Holy Tulsa Thunder, remain tied to his home state of Oklahoma. After releasing two full length records with his New York twang-rock collaboration, Cheyenne, Jennings called upon longtime friend and producer Chad Copelin (Bishop Allen, The Umbrellas) to record this album. All the songs on Holy Tulsa Thunder were recorded live in Copelin's Oklahoma studio, using pianist Ryan Lindsey (Starlight Mints), and the rhythm section of drummer James McAlister and bassist Jeff Shoop (both of whom backed Sufjan Stevens on his Illionois tour). All the musicians grew up around Tulsa, passing hot summer days at Bell's Amusement Park, the demise of which is a recurring theme throughout the ten song record.

Beau Jennings in the Press:

Music comes at us from all directions. Sometimes a short review will catch your eye and lead to an overwhelming discovery. Other times a new band seems promising, and then one of its members takes off on their own. That’s Beau Jennings. The Oklahoma native has a name that sounds like he should come from that state, but his music is as big as America. He made two albums with Cheyenne, and both are striking collections of personal perceptions. But it’s Jennings’ solo debut that makes you think here’s someone who is creeping right up to the edge of greatness, and with any luck could easily cross over. This isn’t roots music, unless you consider the entire cosmos the backyard. It’s more like the singer-songwriter has his head tuned into a prairie radio capable of receiving every kind of American music there is. Jennings’ job is to distill it down to his own creation--and he does. There’s always been a scene in his part of Oklahoma, which is where The Holy Tulsa Thunder was recorded, and while it might range from J.J. Cale to the Flaming Lips, that’s not as wide as you first might think. Artists from this area don’t have as much to compare themselves to, so coloring outside the lines is easier because there aren’t as many lines. And if every great album has one song that reflects its highest mark, here it’s “In My Veins Again.” It’s like a midnight ride across an empty landscape, the moon and stars so bright they feel like floodlights and fill the heart with hope, even if delusion is riding shotgun: “I told her I loved her/it was on the first date/she didn’t believe me/it wasn’t true anyway/sometimes you say what you think/might help get you in/or what makes you feel in your veins again.” Like life, there are no easy answers on this album. But that doesn’t stop the questions from being asked by someone who means it. No Beau, no show.

- Bill Bentley, Sonic Boomers