Jenna McDaniel

Mary Jane Farmer | February 19, 2016 | Reply

Story by Billy Keith Bucher, Photos by D.s. Arnauld

It’s so true that everyone has a different story. It was a surprisingly warm January afternoon at the Forge in Ben Wheeler as Jenna McDaniel and I were sitting beside a giant tepee outside the bistro. It was a clear day, but there was still a bit of a chill in the air.

“So Jenna,” I asked, “I read somewhere that you had started singing by doing karaoke.”

Jenna nodded. “It’s true. It was fun and I quickly found that I could get a lot of attention from singing in front of people. I started to sing along when I was two and that, in turn, made me feel confident when I would sing in front of people. I started by singing at home with my own karaoke machine. From the beginning, my mom and my dad were, and still are, my biggest supporters. “When I was young, I would do karaoke everywhere I could and it very quickly brought me confidence when I realized the positive reactions which people were giving me when I sang.”

The first time that I’d seen Jenna play was at the Forge the previous July. I had been very impressed and had gotten a copy of her first outing, “Little Miss Understanding.” I still love the sounds that come from that venture.

I took it home and played it many times. I didn’t know when I would see Jenna again, but I just really liked her sounds, her enthusiasm, and guitar playing. Jenna 1 copy

“I’ll moving to Nashville in April. I’ll just have to get settled in and then play some shows and get comfortable. You asked me what song went over the best on the first CD and I’d have to say ‘Train Wreck.’ We released it to radio and it got up to No. 95 on Texas Regional Radio Charts!

“It’s funny, but I’m always writing new songs and I have one that I’ve written about coming back to Texas from Nashville after I go there. I guess that is sort of getting ahead of myself,” she added with a laugh.

“People just seem to relate to ‘Train Wreck’ more than any song that I’ve ever done.” On the CD, it is a powerful song with a fantastic solo by Lloyd Maines behind Jenna. Another standout solo on “Little Miss Understanding” where Warren Hood turns in a strong fiddle solo.

“It’s a good thing to find you’ve done a song which resonates with people so well.”

I asked her where she had been playing since I last saw her at the Forge. “I do get to play in Austin some and I’ve done SXSW for two years in a row, but I’ve also played in Temple, Belton, and I’ve performed in the Dallas and Fort Worth at places like the White Elephant in the Stockyards.

“I call my music more country pop and my newer stuff follows that line even better. My previous CDs are more country, but I’m leaning more towards pop as I go along. It’s hard to put yourself into a certain genre though. You just have to have other people say where you really fit in.

“Taylor Swift and Stevie Nicks are probably my main two influences now, but when I was Jenna 1 growing up I followed Martina McBride, Reba McIntire, Miranda Lambert, and Carrie Underwood. And I had a girl crush on Little Big Town!” She gave a short laugh.

“When I started really getting serious about my writing, I came back to Taylor Swift and she has been a big influence on my writing and still does.”

I asked her what she’d like people to know about her. “Well, I’ve got a new CD coming out shortly and I’ve written a new song called ‘Comin Back to Texas’ for when I do come back. I like to play the smaller and intimate venues best. It is just a better showcase for a song.”

Jenna really put on a wonderful performance that night at The Forge. She seemed to have a way of throwing her body into and back from the microphone and her demure was always set to motion. And she has a high and beautiful voice to showcase her songs. She is, all in all, a strong package no matter what genre she might fall into at any given moment.

Jenna McDaniel will be playing at O’Brien’s Irish Pub in Temple on Feb. 19; and at Love & War in Texas (Plano) on Saturday, Feb. 20. Her schedule is on ReverbNation.