Karen and Amy Jones

"They've got a connection that makes for intense performances and a great vocal blend of tight harmonies." - Pulse Weekly Magazine

"They've got a connection that makes for intense performances and a great vocal blend of tight harmonies." - Pulse Weekly Magazine

2008 - Nominated for Best Duo, Best Female Vocalists, and Best Band Website

2007 - Nominated for Best Duo, Best Female Vocalists, and Best Band Website

2006 - Nominated for Best Duo, Best Female Vocalists, and Best New Band - ------------------------------------

2008 - Nominated for Best Duo, Best Female Vocalists, and Best Band Website

2007 - Nominated for Best Duo, Best Female Vocalists, and Best Band Website

2006 - Nominated for Best Duo, Best Female Vocalists, and Best New Band - ------------------------------------

November 25, 2009

Sisters Karen and Amy Jones sound like a cross between Anne and Nancy Wilson of Heart and The Indigo Girls. Eschewing traditional folk music, the Philadelphia sisters create highly artistic acoustic Rock music that not only appeals musically but also makes listeners think. Playing together since 2006, Karen and Amy have already been featured on four national compilations, and have received airplay on stations such as Delaware's WSTW and Philadelphia's WXPN. The duo released their debut album Daphne in Winter in July 2009 and are planning an East Coast US tour in support.

Daphne in Winter opens with Right Turn, perhaps one of the most stylistic and refined kiss off Pop/Rock songs of 2009. Right Turn focuses on a woman finding herself in the midst of the life she'd fallen into. It's a song of empowerment and is rendered eloquently beautiful by the mesmerizing voices of Karen and Amy Jones. Strange Lullaby is incredibly lush, sounding like something that might come out of a Sarah McLachlan session. The vocal harmonies are angelic. The Jones' get a bit more attitude on Ride, exploring the excitement of a relationship with a "bad boy". The funky arrangement is a great listen, and the vocal harmonies are, as always, exquisite. Brittle Creatures introduces a much darker tone in a bleak but compelling musical arrangement where the vocal line is almost in conflict with its surroundings. This is perhaps meant to be symbolic and borders on disturbing but is highly compelling.

The Years find [them] moving more firmly into the Rock realm with a gentle tune that shows off their voices but seems a bit flat energy-wise. They recover nicely on The Things That He Breaks, an emotionally charged and powerful musical stand that's going to strike chords with anyone who's ever been a victim of domestic violence or abuse (physically or otherwise). The melody here is highly memorable, particularly in the chorus, and the harmonies as good as they've been throughout the album. The Jones' close out with Winter Boy, a mellow Folk-Rocker worth sticking around for. The focus here is the intertwining of the sisters' voices, creating an ethereal and temperate vocal tableau.

Karen and Amy Jones obviously have a bond that most artists never achieve, and they use it in full measure on Daphne in Winter. Not everything works here, but the harmonies are consistently far beyond the norm. The songwriting in general is quite strong, although there is a bit of a fall-off on the second half of the CD. Even the less exceptional material sounds brilliant when both sisters are singing. If Karen and Amy Jones come to a town near you, make sure to check out the show. In the meantime, put Daphne in Winter on your list of CDs to check out.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Karen and Amy Jones at http://www.karenandamyrock.com/ or www.myspace.com/karenandamyrock. You can purchase Daphne in Winter directly from the band on CD. Downloads are available through most major download sites, including Amazon.com and iTunes. - Wildy's World

"Karen and Amy have beautiful voices and haunting harmonies that blend in a way only sisters can hope to attain." - Phil Stahl, The Phil Stahl Show

"Karen and Amy have beautiful voices and haunting harmonies that blend in a way only sisters can hope to attain." - Phil Stahl, The Phil Stahl Show

Karen and Amy were selected as Top 12 finalists two years in a row in the Philadelphia Songwriters Project Songwriting Contest (2008 and 2009). - ------------------------------------

Karen and Amy were selected as Top 12 finalists two years in a row in the Philadelphia Songwriters Project Songwriting Contest (2008 and 2009). - ------------------------------------

“Rain” was among the Top 10 favorite songs of 2008, as voted on by listeners of the Acoustic Diner Radio Program. - ------------------------------------

“Rain” was among the Top 10 favorite songs of 2008, as voted on by listeners of the Acoustic Diner Radio Program. - ------------------------------------

"Spend A Little Time" was a Top 10 finalist in George's Music 30th Anniversary Songwriting Contest (2008) and was included on the George's Music 30th Anniversary Compilation CD. - ------------------------------------

"Spend A Little Time" was a Top 10 finalist in George's Music 30th Anniversary Songwriting Contest (2008) and was included on the George's Music 30th Anniversary Compilation CD. - ------------------------------------

"Philly-based duo Karen & Amy Jones may be classically trained operatic vocalists, but their melodic connection on debut eight-track album “Daphne in Winter,” released earlier this year, personifies the sister act’s cool, confessional acoustic savvy, with wholesome dedication to harmonies that can only be conjured through a lifetime of fellowship. Songs like “Ride,” written by Karen, demonstrate storytelling acumen, alongside a chug-along guitar-driven beat, as they lament: “You’re rotten to the core, it only made me want you more/And so I ride along with you,” with a deceptively sunny sing-a-long chorus. Up-tempo “The Years,” written by Amy, shares another lesson, with its universal foreboding message of anguish: “Like a whispered prayer begging for exile/These games that you play shatter me”; while album opener “Right Turn,” likewise, grants strength through adversity, as the sisters assure, “Good luck, good riddance, hold on to your sadness, it makes you different/Keep your distance, you’re over the line.” Audience favorite “Rain,” about an ill-fated love affair, delivers yet another clear-cut crisp vocal with strumming strings filling the instrumental landscape with lustrous beauty. Karen & Amy have been compared to Ann and Nancy Wilson and the Indigo Girls, but are clearly forging their own path as a congruous force with all tools to conquer triple-A radio and beyond." - Billboard Discoveries

"Exceptional songwriting, solid...acoustic guitar over beautiful vocals. This is a rare and sure to rise musical duo." - Tom Malm, Concert Promoter & Industry Veteran

"Exceptional songwriting, solid...acoustic guitar over beautiful vocals. This is a rare and sure to rise musical duo." - Tom Malm, Concert Promoter & Industry Veteran