Jesse DeNatale
Jesse DeNatale “Simple words aren’t hard to find” sings Jesse DeNatale and find them he does, combining them with often startling originality, Soul Parade not only leaves you with memorable melodies but with images that stick: “Iron and stone and your sad trombone”, “Little angels on the railroad track,” “Fire engines singing in a backyard lullaby”. His singing style itself is haunting, insistent and because his lyrics are so good, his delivery is always legible and cleanly articulated. Jesse DeNatale clearly wants us to hear just what he has written, and so we are given language and story—a kind of poetry—and not just a sequence of vowels. On first listen, he may bring to mind a number of familiar contemporary voices, but listen again and he will sound only like himself. Like any smart artist, he has created a new voice by assimilating his influences carefully and wisely. Beautifully produced, and sensitively orchestrated, and stocked with inventive and compelling songs, “Soul Parade” reminds us that Jesse DeNatale is one of the most distinctive singers and creative lyricists of his generation and the generations that flank him. Billy Collins, US Poet Laureate 2001-2003 New York State Poet Laureate 2004