Release date June 1, 2015

All songs written by Mary Jennings except Love You Best and Tectonic Plates by Mary Jennings and Jeremy Nash and Tidal Waves by Mary Jennings and Adam Bohanan.

Produced, engineered and mixed by Nathan Rosenberg (Doghouse Studios) except Tectonic Plates produced by Ian O'Neill and mixed by Aaron Krause and Tidal Waves produced and mixed by Aaron Krause.

Mastered by Allen Silverman/ARF Mastering (Track 1, 3, 4, 7) and Jim Demain/Yes Master Studios (Track 2, 5, 6, 8)


Metamorphosis Album

Mary Jennings' new album was a “labor of love” amidst a world of turmoil and pandemic pandemonium. While juggling the homeschooling of her daughter, being isolated from beloved family members, and no longer being able to perform live and record in studios, Mary found sanctuary learning how to track from home and gave birth to her isolation creation, "Matriarch." With inspirations from her daughter, her home life, the pandemic, friends, and the 20 year anniversary of the loss of her mother, she found all the fuel she needed to create a well rounded follow up to previous works such as 2015’s "Metamorphosis." This album will make you laugh, cry, scream, rage, and hopefully land with a cathartic smile at the end.
 
"Matriarch" is a powerful and vulnerable album consisting of both poetical ballads and driving, pulsating tracks. She takes the listener with her on the journey of pain, anxiety, and happiness. She makes you implicit in her emotions, in that, she connects with the listener; she relates to the listener. “When people ask me why I’m a musician, I tell them that it’s largely because music is my therapy,” she says. “That entire notion really began with the death of my mom. My dad offered to help me record an album shortly after her death, and the experience of writing about what I was going through at the time went a long way towards helping me cope.” A big piece of her musical expression came from the death of her mother in 2001. Her work is open and unapologetically emotional, putting her feelings into poetic and captivating songs, which is what makes her so unique.
 
Her songs are lyrically intentional. Right out of the gate, Mary sets the tone of her album with “This Ride.”  With all of the climbs, dips, sideways, and pivots that motherhood, a pandemic, family, and the world can throw at you, when asked “how do I get off of this ride” there is only one answer; “hang on for dear life.”  This new album is filled with themes from the past year such as "Shakin' Down," "Hard", and "Patient" and all of the anxieties that come with it ("Knots" and "Dreaming of Giants"), but at the core of it all is the strength in being a matriarch.  
 
Eliza, her now 5 year old daughter, has inspired so much of this album from the artwork (she painted the backdrop and Mary's face) to several of the songs.  Whether it's "Matriarch" in which Jennings finds beauty in the fact that her mother’s life and legacy continues through her daughter or "Liar" where she exposes that she will do anything in her power to maintain her daughter's youthful spirit and magic without shielding her too much from the world, the listener with get a deeper perspective into Mary's relationship with her daughter and will likely find it so relatable to the relationships with their own family members.

Matriarch

Pyrotechnicolor

Matriarch is unlike other songs about motherhood.  It is a song of strength and connection in lineage between women of different generations within a family.  As a new girl is born, that strength is continued whether the women were known in life or not.

Produced by: Ryan Youmans, Mary Jennings, and Ian O'Neill

Produced by: Ryan Youmans and Mary Jennings

This Ride

Produced by: Tom Richards

BGVS: Ali Aslam, Billy Frank, Cheshire Adams, Emerson Young, Emily Earle, Luke Schares, Rachel Epp, and Rachel Pearl

Hard

Produced by: Ryan Youmans and Mary Jennings

Drums: Ian O'Neill
Bass: Pat McCarthy

Dreaming Of Giants

This is a dark electronica song for anyone who has ever felt they don't fully fit into their own life.

Handstands In A Kiddie Pool

Home

When I was a kid, I was a little different some would say. Yeah, yeah I get it, many would say I still am. However, when you are a kid, there is often a lot of pressure to conform to the norm. For the longest time, I was insecure about how I wanted to dress, wear my hair, act, etc. My metamorphosis was the day I started to embrace the person I wanted to be without apology. I think I still metamorphose (yep that's a word because I looked it up for the song) as I get older. It is definitely a process. This song is for all of those who are unabashedly themselves. This is for the rule breakers, the fashion faux pas, and for those that walk to the beat of a different drummer.

I wrote this song when I was still living in NYC and when I started it I thought, "man this one may be too weird." Then I realized that this is exactly what the song is about! I should be pumped that it's a little weird. When I took it to Nathan Rosenberg (The Doghouse NYC), he transformed it! Anyone that has worked in the studio with me knows that crying with joy and excitement is a frequent occurrence but rarely does it happen when you only have two or three parts put in. From the very beginning I thought the production on this was extra special.

When it came time to form this album and give it a title, it only made sense for it to be "Metamorphosis." All of the songs have elements of nature and how people's habits and behaviors often mimic things that happen in nature. It is filled with themes of change and acceptance.

Metamorphosis

Written by Mary Jennings and Jeremy Nash

Singer, songwriter & musician Mary Jennings delivers a dramatic swirling, sweeping midtempo anthem via “Love You Best,” in which she delivers a universal lyrical tune about reflecting on the highs & lows of the great love of her life. Mary’s folk delivery is amped here with a wondrous template of rich instrumentation, including sweeping strings, a hint of electric guitar and driving percussion. But most of all, she has come up with another melodic bulls-eye sing-along that will have her minions singing in unison. “Love You Best” is primed for critical mass, indeed. -Chuck Taylor (Entertainment Journalist)

Love You Best

Take a Number

     The single was released back in April and as many of you know, it was inspired by the loss of my friend Sam. He struggled with emotional issues and alcohol abuse and died way too young. I had written the music for this before he passed but I just couldn't find the words to put to it. When he died, it hit me like a ton of bricks (pardon the pun). The lyrics to this song say everything that I wish I could still say to Sam. Everyone has "bricks" that stack up over time to create seemingly insurmountable walls. Some people are able to plow though these bricks while others can only attack it one brick at a time.
     Nathan Rosenberg (The Doghouse NYC) not only produced this track but convinced me to record it in the first place. It was still sensitive for me at the time but he saw a lot of potential in it. I LOVE his production. My favorite part may be the chants throughout the song that were sung in multiple parts by me, Nathan and Jeremy Nash. It really drives the feeling of the song. Both Mark Marshall and Patrick McCarthy put heavy guitar and bass parts on it as well which took it over the edge.
       This song has quickly become one of my favorites to play live. I love creating the loops and mashing it up with covers that are applicable to the way I feel about Sam. 

Lyrics
You're speeding faster backwards down this one way street
And you can't find the room to turn around
You are not flattered in the patterns you have sunken into
And it only brings you down

Everything that's ever said to you
Always comes around again

You scream out loud above the voices in the crowd
And you feel that these walls will soon come tumbling down
But it's only one brick at a time...one brick at a time, it's one brick, one brick at a time

You feel the sudden need to flee from all these worries that keep
Pounding on your troubled heart
You're never here, you're never there your somewhere stuck in between
And you just want to fall apart

Everything that's ever said to you
Always comes around around around again

You scream out loud above the voices in the crowd
And you feel that these walls will soon come tumbling down
But it's only one brick at a time...one brick at a time, it's one brick, one brick at a time

I hope you know you are loved
I hope you know you are loved
I know it never feels like it's enough
When these walls seem so high
And it's always one brick at a time, it's one brick, one brick at a time

You scream out loud above the voices in the crowd
And you feel that these walls will soon come tumbling down
But it's only one brick at a time...one brick at a time, it's one brick, one brick at a time

One Brick

Drown in the Desert

 Catch 22, simply put, is a song about unrequited love. This one took several different turns before I landed on the final lyrics. Initially, it was meant to be a love song but as you all know I love to make things a little darker. I decided that this song would be more accurate and pack a stronger punch if it was about loving someone and going unnoticed. If you look up "Catch 22" the definition states that it is 1) a situation in which a desired outcome or solution is impossible to attain because of a set of inherently contradictory rules or conditions and 2) a contradictory or self-defeating course of action. So for those of you who have ever loved someone that hasn't noticed you even exist, then this is for you.

When I first started playing this song out at open mics, my friend Jeremy Nash told me he had some cool harmonies to put with it. When I heard his harmonies, I almost burst into tears with joy! He inspired a lot of the background vocals on this song.

Nathan Rosenberg (The Doghouse NYC) killed it on the production. He came up with so many cool loops and synth parts to really make it sore. His arrangement ideas also helped to push the song along. Mark Marshall came in and played both acoustic and electric guitar on it as well. The lines he put in the bridge quickly made that become one of my favorite parts of the song.

I hope you all enjoy listening to Catch 22. Remember you can PREORDER a physical album for only $7 right here http://www.maryjennings.com/store/preorder-metamorphosis.

Catch 22

Love isn't always easy but that's half the fun.  "This Means War" is a song of fighting for love and the pride behind the emotional battle scars. 

I started writing this song while on a 14 hour drive between Nashville and New York City.  Friend and bassist Pat McCarthy was asleep in the passenger seat.  I started to get ideas for lyrics and a melody as I drove but had no way to write them down because my hands were on the steering wheel.  I didn't want to lose them so I woke Pat, asked him to grab my journal and write down the lyrics.  I love that the first jotting of these lyrics are in someone else's handwriting.  Months later, Nathan (The Doghouse NYC​) and I were trying to find that final song to round out what we were doing.  He had me play through everything I had but nothing was really sticking.  "Mary you HAVE to have something in that journal that isn't finished.  Just play me everything."  So, frustrated, I found those lyrics and told him that there were no piano parts, second verse, or bridge to this.  When I sang him what I had he said, "that's the one."  I thought he was completely nuts because it was so unfinished.  So within the next few days, we came up with piano parts and I finished the lyrics.  I couldn't be more thrilled with the way it turned out!  It was exactly what this record needed.

Most people haven't heard this song, so I am super excited to share it with you.  It is a tough one to play live without a band.
I hope you all enjoy "This Means War." Remember you can PREORDER a physical album for only $7 right here http://www.maryjennings.com/store/preorder-metamorphosis.

This Means War

Phoenix on Fire

Smolders

Burn

This album contains two sets of remixes of four songs from my Metamorphosis record.  The remixes were done by Tomauce (NYC) and Mikei Gray (Nashville).  

Metamorphosis (Tomauce Remix)

jENNiNGS is releases a new acoustic live album called Take It or Leave.

Move

The Darkness

Loose Cannon

Produced by: Tom Whall
Written by: Mary Jennings and Tom Whall

Songwriter Mary Jennings has traversed an extensive landscape of subject matter over the course of her career, penning critically-acclaimed songs about everything from love and loss to life in a post-apocalyptic world. But with her latest release “Shakin’ Down” (co-written with and produced by Tom Whall), Jennings wades into previously uncharted artistic waters for her: current affairs, and more specifically, the precarious state America finds itself in on the eve of a crucial election. Channeling her academic background in politics and growing alarm at the direction of the country in recent years, “Shakin’ Down” serves as a humble wake up call for all Americans at a pivotal point in our history and it is delivered with infectious, hypnotic sonic undertones and Jennings’ one-of-a-kind vocal style. 
Proceeds from the streams and downloads of “Shakin’ Down” will go to voter advocacy groups like The Equity Alliance and Spread the Vote as a reminder of the meaningful change that can be initiated in the voting booth.

Shakin' Down

Produced by: Ryan Youmans and Mary Jennings
Written by: Mary Jennings

Cello: Ward Williams

Hurry up, Open up
We have everywhere to be
The numbers rise in front of all our eyes
But they're just numbers to me
One was someone's mother 
Two was someone's son
Three a new found lover
Who had just begun
To live
And now that's over
And all for what

I'm gonna wait 
I'm gonna stay 
Patient
I'm gonna wait til I can say their names

To isolate Is to go insane
Who can live this way
But what happens when the next one to go is your friend
What will you say then

One was someone's mother 
Two was someone's son
A hundred thousand later
And we have just begun
To lose
This loss is forever
And all for what

I'm gonna wait 
I'm gonna stay 
Patient
I'm gonna wait til I can say their names

What was it all worth to give in now
What was it all worth to give in now

If you can say their names right out loud
Without fear then go out
If you can say their names right out loud
Without tears then go out
If you can say their names right out loud
Free and clear then go out

But I'm gonna wait
I'm gonna stay
Patient
I'm gonna wait til I can say their names

Patient

Mary, House of Jennings, First of her Name, Queen of the Bolos, Breaker of Musical Norms, Mother of Eliza

It takes a lot of life experience to craft engaging, universal song lyrics—and singer, songwriter and musician Mary Jennings has had more than a lion’s share. How’s this for a start: career stops as a teacher, aerobics instructor, clothing retailer, bartender, luggage saleswoman and paranormal researcher. Add to that the early loss of her mom , and there are plenty stories to share. Jennings states that music has kept her sane.  Not surprisingly, her songs often possess a modicum of sadness and darkness, about which she says, “I share these emotions with others because I know so many have felt the same things. If I can create melodies and deliver words that express their feelings, I’ve done my job.”

With an enormous singing voice that transcends her small frame, an extraordinary rock sound full of robust piano hooks, and a one-of-a-kind storytelling ability drawn from a remarkable and emotional history, Mary has carved out her own unique niche in the industry by doing things her way.

Born into a family with strong musical roots, she began playing piano at five and has fond memories of her paternal grandparents teaching her vocal harmonies at a young age – a skill that is very evident in her work today. Mary’s adolescent and teenage years were marked by her development on piano and the cultivation of her vocal ability through many school plays and musicals, but it was the sudden death of her mother in 2001 that prompted a seismic surge in her musical expression.

“When people ask me why I’m a musician, I tell them that it’s largely because music is my therapy,” she says. “That entire notion really began with the death of my mom. My dad offered to help me record an album shortly after her death, and the experience of writing about what I was going through at the time went a long way towards helping me cope.” It was on that album that Mary established her creative foundation, writing music that immediately bonds her to the listener in a genuine way. That openness, and the raw emotion inherent in both her writing and voice, has been a cornerstone of her work ever since. “I share these emotions with others because I know so many have felt the same things. If I can create melodies and deliver words that express their feelings, I’ve done my job.”

Mary’s strong work ethic and commitment to her craft has paid off handsomely in recent years. A Casio-sponsored artist, she was featured in an online advertising campaign for the company’s new line of keyboards in 2011 and her song “The Darkness” was placed in the Lionsgate motion picture The Devil’s Seed (ironically, a horror film).   In 2014, her song “Move” was featured during a final dance on Lifetime’s tv show “Dance Moms.”

Mary has organized a number of extensive tours as well, opening for artists such as Jeffrey Gaines, Mike Doughty, Teddy Geiger, Ryan Cabrera, and Rachel Yamagata, and she has appeared at several major festivals including CMJ and South by Southwest. She often treats fans to a unique stage set-up when performing on her own, prominently featuring a loop pedal that she uses to effortlessly layer rhythmic beats and beautiful background harmonies over her unmistakably unique piano playing and vocals.

Whether you experience Mary Jennings on stage or on one of the handful of albums she has released, you’re witnessing a very special artist who has confidently found her voice over the course of a long, and at time, heartbreaking journey.

MARY JENNINGS

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