Described as a cross between Neil Young, Gillian Welch, and Martina McBride, singer-songwriter, Jennie Arnau, mixes her down-to-earth Appalachia upbringing with the gritty New York City, her current home.
On the surface, “Bouncing Ball” is a refreshingly simple bit of alt-country, given the plucky banjo and Arnau’s cheerful doo-wahs. But dig a little deeper, and this song penetrates that bottled-up desperation we all hide away in ourselves until we just can’t mask it anymore. It’s about a longing to be loved, especially by that one person who always seems to be standing in the sunshine while we’re stuck out in the elements. “I keep standing in the rain/ while you’re safe inside/ and I keep calling out your name…”
Arnau’s severe vulnerability doesn’t evoke pity in me; it makes me empathize with her. I know what it’s like to pray that someone else’s seemingly endless good fortune come my way, to wish that love would swoop in and mend the cracks in my life instead of just fixing them myself. “Bouncing Ball” captures those feelings exactly.
Chasing Giants is out April 20, 2010 on MRI.