Artist: Jennifer Nettles
Song/Music Video: Oh, What a Beautiful Morning
Album: Always Like New
Grammy Award winning country singer, Jennifer Nettles, has just released her new album Always Like New, alongside a music video for the single, “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning”. If you don’t know, Jennifer Nettles was part of country-duo Sugarland that performed at the inauguration of President Barak Obama, has performed in Broadway shows, and charted as a duet partner on the country version of Bon Jovi’s 2006 single, “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” (to name a few of her accomplishments!).
Nettles teamed up with Grammy and Tony Award-winning orchestrator Alex Lacamoire to help reimagine musical classics and create this Broadway/American Songbook themed album. The album featuring ten tracks, including: “Wouldn’t it Be Lovely”, “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat”, “Wait For It”, “Almost Like Being In Love”, “It All Fades Away (feat. Brandi Carlile)”, “There’s A Sucker Born Ev’ry Minute”, “Anyone Can Whistle”, “You Will Be Found”, and “Tomorrow”. The songs are a mix of classic upbeat country, slow acoustics, orchestral ballads, and even a little bit of blues. Nettles beautiful, powerful voice—reminiscent of Celine Dion—is the cherry on top.
The scenic music video for “Oh, What A Beautiful Morning” was directed by filmmaker, Elena Vazintaris and shot in Damascus, Pennsylvania. With this song, Nettles aimed to celebrate the ‘beautiful day’ on the horizon since the Broadway community has been shut down for over a year due to the pandemic. She shared, “Musically, this song is absolutely praise, gratitude and a standout moment on the record for me. This song is such a message of hope for all of our hearts after this hard year. We are all walking into the dawn of a new, beautiful, hopeful morning. I want this video to feel like a visual, artistic symbol and reminder of that hope.”
Nettles’ video was premiered on June 22 in the heart of Times Square on the big screen. She shared her excitement in an elated Instagram post; “Seeing this video made me so proud. So many people in the entertainment industry haven’t been able to work for so long. Being able to celebrate the talents of so many talented artists, from the director to the choir, to the choreographer, to the dancer, all of it felt like a moment of returning and rebirth into the things we most love. All of it was a joyous collaboration.”
After watching the video, I can definitely agree that it radiates the feeling of hope and joy. The video features Nettles singing against a backdrop of a green meadow, her hair and pastel fabrics blowing in the wind. The video cuts back and forth between shots of Nettles, a contemporary dancer (Chantel Aguirre), and the Broadway Inspirational Voices choir, who are featured on the track. Always Like New and the video for “Oh, What A Beautiful Morning” are just what you need if you’re suffering from the pandemic-blues.
