REVIEW:

Another TV personality moves into the pop arena, except in Jenny Delenta's case the word "personality" is appropriate as she exhibited total cool during her stint as the roving TV reporter on 'Options', and a solid set of tonsils as a member of the Not The Midnight Mass a capella outfit. This is her debut album and it was co-written with Craigie Dodds (Egyptian Nursery) who also produced, engineered and arranged these 11 ambient pop gems.

'Delenta' is a trip-pop album that sparkles with fresh electronica touches, an abundance of memorable melodies and sultry, versatile vocals. Initially it sounded a bit twee and a little too similar to Qkumba Zoo's chirpy dance-pop, but repeated spins revealed 'Delenta's' intelligent and evocative core and wealth of potential singles. First single, 'Fall', is already all over the radio and the anthemic 'Higher Ground' is waiting in the wings to take over. 'Sudan' is a reference to Jenny Delenta's land of birth and is performed as a touching dedication to her mother and father.

Other highlights include 'In Rhythm With You', the strange vocal dynamics of 'Streets', 'Drown In You' and the dancey bonus track 'Coming Together'. Jenny Delenta has always exhibited a humour-tinged confidence, a hidden vulnerability and a clear-eyed intelligence. So it's no surprise that 'Delenta' is such an assured and strong debut. Nothing less then we'd expect from someone who would never sing a lyric like "I need your passion like it's going out of fashion". Delentable!

Stephen Segerman (SA Rockdigest)