Jane Germain

MGM; July 2007

Jane Germain has fashioned a career out of throwing everything into the mix. From the funky blend of blues and folk that flavored her debut recording to its rock-oriented follow-up, Surrender, Germain has never shied away from emblazing her albums with both purpose and soul. And on Chinese Whispers, the singer/songwriter has seemingly elected to bring the latter to the fore. An artist of Chinese decent, Germain has crafted a record that uniquely ignores stylistic constraints. Take, for example, the union of two-stringed Chinese violin and dobro guitar on “When You Come Around Here.” On Chinese Whispers Germain pulls together her diverse inspirations and turns them into an enchanting musical journey, and deeply personal lyrics ensure that it is as much a journey of the heart as it is of the soul.