jen murdza

• January 6th - Campus Circle - Noteworthy News
• Review of "Good Little Worker Bees" - Kevin Wierzbicki

• Some bees will sting you, but Jen Murdza's Good Little Worker Bees will bring you honey! Murdza's just-released new album is swarming with soulful upbeat pop that her hometown Boston Globe newspaper says recalls a mashup of Diana Krall and Brandi Carlile with a little KT Tunstall thrown in for good measure.

  The singer-songwriter now lives in Los Angeles, and if you want to hear what all the buzz is about, bust out of your hive on Jan. 20 to hear Murdza perform songs from Good Little Worker Bees at Café Cordiale in Sherman Oaks.

• December 28th - Caught in the Carousel
• Review: Good Little Worker Bees - Lyn Dunagan

• Singer-songwriter Jen Murdza crafts a musical rainbow that pulls from many influences, including pop, funk, soul, R&B and jazz. Her strong voice and emotional command eliminate cookie-cutter tracks, varying sultry, playful, funky, gritty, and mellow as needed–Shelby Lynne meets Chrissie Hynde meets Joss Stone. The opening track "All These Little Voices" hits hard and fast with a great bluesy-pop hook and catchy lyrics ("When there's so many choices/It's hard to know what yours is"). Thematically, Worker Bees is a happy album, with just-found-love songs, like "Top of the World" ("I'm on top of the world now that I've found you"), which just barely manages to avoid being treacly. "Sweet Savoir" switches pace to a sultry lullaby; "Exhale" is fueled by smooth jazz and "Roam" is a country ballad.

  Murdza also reminds me of Vonda Shepard, the Ally McBeal chanteuse from that 90's TV show. Without laying the curse of another on her, Murdza matches Shepard's ability to belt out the funky-soul, particularly on tracks like "Unwind" and "Lonely." "I Dare You" shows off an edgier side. "Thank You" is full-on Dixie jazz and sass ("You're no longer there beside me/There's nobody to scratch my itch"), which has to be the most blameless break-up song. It's just so damn fun.

  Good Little Worker Bees is Murdza's second full-length CD, and it's self-produced with assurance. She gathered some of Boston's best horn and string musicians: Scott Aruda (Susan Tedeschi), John Aruda, Paul Ahlstrad, Dana Price, and Brandon Brooks (Mike Post, yes that Mike Post), and together they sound seamless. Good Little Worker Bees is like walking into an ice cream shop-there's something for almost everyone.

• November 24th - Twangville.com
• Mayer's Playlist for Fall 2009, Part 2 - Mayer Danzig

• Unwind, Jen Murdza (from the self-released Good Little Worker Bees) LA by way of Boston singer-songwriter Murdza mines the jazzy side of pop. Her latest release skips between up-beat, horn-driven pop and acoustic-based ballads. This track sits firmly in the up-beat category, anchored by some mighty fine horns. The real star here, however, is Murdza's impressive voice, silky with just a touch of huskiness.

• November 13th - The Boston Herald
• "Good Little Worker Bees" (Butterfly Girl): B+ - Nate Dow
• Murdza recorded the bulk of this record in Brookline before relocating to Los Angeles, so Bostonians can celebrate its precious core and attribute the distracting glints of gloss to Left Coast production. The Medford native wrote all of the songs and played guitar, but it's her stellar voice - as comfortable with a neo-soul rocker as with a countrified ballad - that distinguishes her. As with Murdza's first two releases, the songs are layered, complex and poetic, and allow plenty of range for her pitch-perfect voice. Download: "Unwind."

• November 6th - The Deli Magazine - New England
• Jen Murdza - Good Little Worker Bees - Meghan Chiampa

• Jen Murdza's Good Little Worker Bees blew my mind. A good album contains "versatile consistency", a selection of songs have the same foundation but different structures. The tracks on Good Little Worker Bees range from a country homage to "life on the road" in "Roam" to bluesy affirmations of loneliness in the aptly titled, "Lonely" to funky get-up-and-dance joy sessions in "Top of the World".

  The tracks are arranged in the same way certain cheese and fruit is paired with wine. They complement each other. With the large differences in each song's style they also bring out the intense flavors of each tune and will definitely stimulate your musical palate. Honestly, I was amazed by how put together the track arrangement was. A roller coaster of an album - ups and downs, highs and lows and at the end you want to ride it all over again.

  Some fantastic musicians accompany Murdza on the album, Tom Bianchi on bass, a world-famous horn section: Scott Aruda, John Aruda and Paul Ahlstrand on trumpet and sax, Joe Feloni on lead guitar, and Dana Price on piano, violin. Chris Harris, Mark Purrington and Mike Casano switch it up on drums and Brandon Brooks on cello. This diverse group of musicians really highlights the colorful substance of this album.

  It starts off with "All These Little Voices" a busy song with bristly Fiona Apple energy to get you going. "Top of the World" is one of my favorite tracks on the album. It's funky and bouncy and has drum beats that make you want to tap your feet, the guitar and horns remind me of disco for some reason. "Sweet Savior" is a saccharine ballad with orchestral strings that make you wince with heart-ache. Murdza busts into a little "Amazing Grace" melody at the end. It's a very beautiful song. "Roam" really took me by surprise with its southern twang and lyrics like, "There's a moon over the highway - She follow wherever I go". But at that point I was used to the variety of the album.

  What really ties these songs together is an underlying theme in sadness, loss and loneliness but also there's a scent of perseverance and joy in the upbeat tunes. It's kind of bipolar in a way. I love it. "Lonely" is a bluesy, soulful declaration of her loneliness (what else is blues about?) The guitar and horns are awesome on this track. And her vocal range and sound is incredible - like Aimee Mann meets Sam Cooke (if Sam Cooke was a woman, you know what I mean.)

  "Thank You" is another one of my favorites on the album. All of a sudden it's Mardi Gras. Scott Aruda is jubilantly awesome on trumpet. Usually you don't hear vocals with this type of song. She does a great job.

  This album was so much fun to listen to. It really brought out the manic depression in my soul (in a good way.) An artist sometimes has to tug a listener in different directions with their sound as if saying, "Hey, you have to hear this song to really appreciate that song!" A truly talented musician is interested in different styles and not afraid of experimentation. I can tell Murdza is one of those musicians. Beautiful, brilliant album. Highly recommended.

• November 4th - CapeCodeOnline.com - Capt. Ken's Music Musings: Music Reviews and News
• Good Little Worker Bees mention on CapeCodeOnline.com - Ken Capobianco

• Finally, I want to make a note about Jen Murdza, a former Boston singer, who has moved out here to L.A. She has a new disc out, "Good Little Worker Bees" and it's a strong, display of her versatility. She shifts from straight up pop to jazz to light rock with eclectic flourishes all with assured voice and an extremely strong backing band. The songs — all written and produced by Murdza — are good as she reflects on all of the struggles of life and love. She's playing a show on November 4 at the snug, delightful Toad in Cambridge and she should definitely be worth checking out.

• October 23rd - Popdose.com
• CD Review: Jen Murdza, "Good Little Worker Bees" - Jeff Giles

• Fans of Brandi Carlile and KT Tunstall have a friend in Jen Murdza, who delivers on the promise of 2007's Reboundin' with Good Little Worker Bees, an 11-track showcase for her smoothly soulful sound. Murdza's all over the place on the album; she played multiple instruments, produced the sessions, and wrote all the tracks, right down to the horn charts and string arrangements. She's got an admirable amount of chutzpah for such a young artist — Bees is, for better or worse, her album, and not just because it's her name above the title. Happily, she proves up to the many tasks she's assigned herself: though her songs are really pretty basic, Murdza's been gifted with a nice, bluesy set of pipes, and her charisma helps make Little Worker Bees more than just another unobtrusively pleasant blues-rock record.

  It also doesn't hurt that Murdza assembled a hell of a band for these recordings, particularly lead guitarist Joe Feloni, and had the good sense to adopt a "less is more" approach as a producer — in fact, these performances sound like they might not have been touched since engineer Mark Davidson tracked them, which is a very good thing. The brass is bright, the rhythm section breathes, Feloni's leads sting, and Murdza tops everything off with vocals that are equal parts smoke and honey. No particular song – or moment from a song – really lingers after the last chords fade, but whatever Bees lacks in immediacy, it makes up in sheer replay value. It's the kind of record you can put on while you're doing housework or making dinner – it doesn't really beg for your attention, but it'll lift your mood and shake your ass just because it's on.

  Good Little Worker Bees will receive physical release in January, but it's already available digitally through CD Baby, iTunes, or Murdza's site (where you can also hear samples).

• March 20th - The Boston Globe
• California Girl - Meredith Goldstein

• Local singer-songwriter Jen Murdza, who combines Diana Krall's jazz with Brandi Carlile's twang, has announced that she's moving to California. After this year's winter, who can blame her? The move means that Murdza's farewell show at Toad tonight will probably be your last chance to see her perform in the Bay State, at least for a while. We expect she'll play tunes from her new album, "Good Little Worker Bees." We also expect that many of her loyal fans will be in the audience to say goodbye. 8:30 p.m. Free. Toad, 1912 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 617-497-4950. www.toadcambridge.com

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