My first experience with Jennifer Hirsh was on the car ride to her show at Room 5.  Tickets were only $8 and a friend wouldn’t stop goading me into coming – not that I was uneasy.  I trusted his taste and was struck at the mention of “small venue” and “soulful voice.”  She had this sort of jazzy, chill tone from what I could make out squished in the backseat, and I wasn’t expecting much more than a relaxing musical experience that night.

A few hours later, I had it confirmed that Jennifer Hirsh is one of the most talented vocalists chillin out there relatively unnoticed.  She’s got a CD out called “Sweet Words” and a second one in the works, but her publicity is generated primarily by occasional small performances.  Definitely worth the 8 bucks.  Her songs range from the sweetly hopeful to the solemn breakup response, almost always spiced by impressive vocal improv.  Her deeply controlled yet highly emotional voice has a way of interacting with all the instruments on stage; the guy playing an african drum in the corner caught her eye and smiled a few times, and the duet she performed with songwriter/guitarist Adam Tressler was drenched in a tangible, soulful connection.  A few times, she called talented friends on stage for piano or vocal duets, but it was hard to pull the spotlight from her jazzy confidence.

If you go – she’ll be at the Room 5 Lounge in Hollywood on Friday the 29th @9pm – you’ll probably underestimate the cheerful girl chatting in the crowd.  Between songs she’s got a friendly demeanor and an infectious laugh, which is translated through each joyful, soulful note she hits.  Visit her website at jenniferhirshmusic.com to hear some recordings and follow her twitter @JenHirsh to stay updated on show dates.

Jennifer Hirsh’s first album “Sweet Words” is available for download on iTunes via her Website.