Johns: Jonatha Brooke

Jonatha Brooke: Made of Gold

[purchase]

When I told my wife what this week's theme was here at SMM, the first thing she asked me was, "So... does Jonatha Brooke count?" Then she made me promise that I would offer up some of Jonatha's music for everyone. Jonatha is one of my wife's favorite artists, and someone who I have come to enjoy over the past couple of years as well.

Jonatha Brooke began her career in the early '80s by pairing with vocalist Jennifer Kimball while the two were both freshmen at Amherst College in Massachusetts. After a few years of playing the local circuit billed as Jonatha and Jennifer, the duo (now known as The Story) released their first album, Grace in Gravity, in 1991.

By 1994, however, Brooke and Kimball had split. 1995's Plumb, although it is credited as Jonatha Brooke & The Story, is actually Jonatha's first solo record. The track I have offered here, "Made of Gold," is the song that introduced me to Jonatha's music, and has grown to be one of my favorite tracks from her. It's a powerful song that Jonatha says was written at a time when many women she knew were struggling through some sort of physical or emotional abuse. A great example of her songwriting talents.

Side note: Jonatha Brooke's latest album was released last month. It's a collection of songs featuring Woody Guthrie's words set to Jonatha's music.