Review by Bryan Farrish Promotion
I of the Storm is a very well recorded album. The quality of the sound is at professional level. The vocals shine through the backing instruments and the records are mixed very well with no sound being to strong or weak. Jen has developed a great folk voice that sets her apart from other folk singers. Her voice is very unique and intriguing leading the listener to want more and continue through the entire CD. Being a drummer myself with a large background in music performance I can appreciate the talent in the instrumentation, the rhythms and patterns are well thought out and not of the ordinary. Jen has a solid bluegrass mix in with the folk sound making her sound similar to Alison Krauss. This bluegrass inspiration on this CD journey involving different styles and sounds makes it easy to listen to the CD all the way through without skipping any songs. Jen shows her song writing talent being able to write full ballads and more upbeat folk songs. I also feel a comparison to other pop folk singer such as Lissie. Jen has a great "pop commercial" voice making her very marketable and most definitely enjoyable by anyone who may hear her voice. Very different experience than I thought I was in for. Much more of a "Alleluia" and blue sky feel to her album. Flawlessly recorded and written CD! The Eye of the Storm was beautiful unlike the storm itself.

Track 1: "Where You Take Me" is a great opening record to the album. It sets the mood for the journey ahead. It has a solid folk sound with a constant bass walk in the background pushing the song along. Jen's voice is as smooth as the ravens she sings about. The tone of the song is much like the blue skies she sings about. Solid song to start of her album.

Track 2: "Eye of the Storm" is a very up lifting song. Jen jumps right into a head nodding song after her opening soothing folk tune. This song has a very catchy verse which only helps the chorus be very strong and meaningful. Great harmonies during the breakdown in the middle of the song. Again, recorded very professionally and a pop edge added to her folk sound.

Track 5: "In The Beginning" is a great song to showcase Jen's song writing talent. This song is not like her other jams. She takes a step into more of a percussive march with the marimba melody bass drum hits driving the song in the background. She has a much higher vocal part in this song as well as compared to her other songs. The listener gets the hear her hit higher notes and enjoy different harmonies.

Track 8: "Thank You" is beautifully written song. It starts out with a soothing guitar melody accompanied by a violin or fiddle. Then when the listener thinks they have heard the idea of the song the guitar kicks it up a notch with a new strumming pattern lifting up the song with a cheerful mood. The violin really adds a lot to making the record much fuller in sound.

Track 11: "Naptime" I greatly enjoy Jen's vocals and her melodies of this song. She paints a picture perfectly of this chair, house, situation etc of the song. Unforgettable sound of her voice in this song.

Track 12: "Beautiful" Jen ends her album with a "beautiful" song. Her voice rings through the piano and puts an exclamation on her CD.

David Kidman review in Folk and Roots
Jen Hajj – i OF THE STORM (Own Label, no catalogue number) It’s a coincidence that both this and Cera Impala’s album (received at roughly the same time and reviewed in tandem) contain a cover of In The Pines – and Jen’s version feels altogether more authentic, even though it’s probably taken a shade too fast and doesn’t quite fit with the tenor of Utah-based Jen’s own gently compelling songwriting, at least as exemplified here. Jen’s opening gambit, the affectionate, honest and direct Where You Take Me, may probably be regarded as one of the best of the batch, and it’s enhanced by a harmonious backing vocal from Rex Seabury. The disc’s other self-penned songs continue in much the same vein, exploring her own qualities as a human being in optimistic and uplifting language that’s as often inspirational as it is whimsical. The humble, personal sentiments of Thank You are equally honestly expressed. Jen can be heard to possess much of the folksy charm of early Judy Collins, and on occasion even sounds quite like her – check out I Am Home for instance – while the gentle timekeeping of Naptime is as hard to resist as the clear, pure reverence of Alleluia, both exceedingly attractive compositions. On the other hand, the stronger, more feisty song In The Beginning tends more to evoke the incantatory delivery of Buffy Sainte-Marie, and the bluesy Water On The Wasteland also receives an extremely persuasive vocal performance that shows off Jen’s versatility in that department. I also really liked the childlike nature-poem Rain, with its wordless sitar-and-tabla mantra. Jen’s select support crew does a nice line in bluegrassy-folk styling, with Ken Sager’s dobro and Mary Danzig’s fiddle arguably the stars of the show, at any rate as regards instrumental dexterity. If this is truly Jen’s debut CD, then it sure doesn’t sound like it – for it’s an assured piece of work, and a subtle winner.