Written by Nick Price
Where does one begin when breaking down Jen Tal & The HuzBand’s new album Detour. Detour is the band’s second full album and leaves the listener speechless. The band, which is made up of Jen Tal and her husband, Jacob Tal, does a great job of capturing the emotions within their music. Each track is bolstered down by soulful guitar playing, rhythmic percussion and tasteful lyrics. The uplifting nature of the lyrics alleviates one from the stress within society today. All the tracks were written by Jen and her husband and you can certainly feel the tight knit relationship the two have. Her voice is a perfect accompaniment with her guitar playing and his percussion work.
Within the first notes of the album, you are regaled with the rapturing lyrics of Jen Tal, who puts her heart and soul into each and every song on the album. Jen’s powerful voice reminds the listener of such R&B singers like Nina Simone and Lauryn Hill, where you can feel her passion behind the lyrics she is singing. She does a perfect job of merging her voice with her guitar playing and each song has a perfect pacing that leaves you wanting more. On this album, they brought some friends along on some tracks that really stand out to make a robust sound. On “Eyes Say It All” – personally my favorite song of the album – Jen and Jacob welcome Jon T. Goff to play harmonica, who perfectly balances his playing with her voice. Aaron Spieldenner joins the duo on “To Know Good” playing some standout jazz guitar. He also plays on “Purpose of the Heart” where he trades in his electric guitar for an acoustic, matching perfectly with Jen’s playing. The duo brings on two other guests – Trevor Williams on “Lively Up” playing the vibraphone and then Bobby Reed on “Balance” where he plays saxophone.
All in all, this is a stellar effort from the duo and I would highly suggest grabbing the album and if you get the chance, catching them at a venue near you.
