Irish singer-songwriter and music scholar Jenny Räisänen released her latest single, “In A Whisper”. The song is a culmination of her studies and degree in music and its lyrics were inspired by a conversation that Jenny had with a friend about how people strive to be more strong and more protective of those around them.
The song begins with a soft piano/keyboard sound and a thumping bassline with Jenny’s chilling and emotional vocals. A Finnish kantele joins in on the action shortly after that in the crescendo from the end of the verse leading up to the chorus in a manner that’s very uplifting and creates a sense of an up-and-rising wave of strength and positivity in the main character’s mind…for a moment there, it felt like a movie soundtrack with that effect.
As for Jenny’s voice, it’s a work of wonder on its own. I’m a sucker for techniques…and Jenny has a lot of them. Jenny begins the song with a (seemingly) easy chest register singing in a low alto range. You can notice a distinctly dark colour in her voice, but she doesn’t overdo the darkness effect, on the contrary actually, she has a lot of open vowels and lightly sung closing notes that make a great transition and add to the emotional delivery.
To craft a song that’s equal parts folky/traditional and yet still poppy and accessible like this is a very delicate balance to achieve. Jenny’s music theory knowledge as well as her love for traditional Finnish folk sounds. I really love how she managed to reach that delicate balance with that particular sound…combining her vision and how she wanted the song to be with the elements that please the fans and listeners at the same time.