BARB JUNGR & THE MEN SHE LOVES
Wednesday, June 2, 2010 at 12:19AM JASON JOBSON 
BARB JUNGR'S LATEST ALBUMSome singers write their own songs and some work with writers who create songs for them. The listening public usually has no idea who created a song, as what you hear is what you know.
British chanteuse Barb Jungr is in another category altogether. Ms. Jungr is a very talented singer who works with songs that have been recorded by major artists such as Bob Dylan or Bruce Springsteen and completely rearranges them. To say Jungr "covers" a song really doesn't do her justice, as that term refers to simply singing someone else's song. Barb basically rewrites a song and truly makes it her own.
There is a hint of the original song when you hear the chorus, but really just because you're familiar with the lyrics- not because it sounds the same. No, Ms. Jungr gives you new little gems that are multifaceted and often have equal parts sparkle, as they do dark crevices that never existed before. Jungr has been called the "British Piaf" and her work is critically acclaimed on both sides of the Atlantic.
There is something about sadness, regret, and heartbreak that draws so many music lovers to listen to songs over and over again. A universal attraction to the beauty of pain, and the sense of hope a great song can give you after just a few minutes. As powerful as any medicine, a song can nurse you back to a state of mind where you can face the world. In this sense, Jungr is just what the Doctor ordered. 
BARB JUNGR & JASON JOBSON AT THE METROPOLITAN ROOM
I recently caught one of her sets at The Metropolitan Room in NYC. The venue is a favorite of jazz and cabaret fans and performers alike. With 115 seats, the room is intimate enough to let the artist see the reaction of the crowd as a show unfolds. After hearing Ms. Jungr live, I realize she is more than a singer - but a true performer. On stage she has the power to take you up with a wind blown lyric, and then drag you through the depths of a long lost dream with another. Great performers have the ability to create this arc - Jungr has it in spades.
Let's all hope that some brilliant producer creates a one Woman show for Barb Jungr. I can see her starring in a modern Rock Opera. Think Tommy or Hedwig & The Angry Inch. Barb Jungr would blow your mind with that type of material!
How exciting and rare it is to see a performer that you know has amazing things to come!! Keep listening to Barb Jungr - as great as her work is now, I'm sure there is something huge just around the corner! Click JUNGR- to buy Barb's latest album released on NAIM label.
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