Benna

The new album by New York City artist Benna is titled What¹s Meant to Be. This CD is her third full-length album and first release on Jeff Nelson from Minor Threat¹s label Adult Swim. It was recorded, produced and mixed at Resonate Studios in NYC and is available through www.adultswimrecords.com and distributed through Red Eye, www.redeyeusa.com.

Since 1994, Benna has been releasing records and gaining critical acclaim as a singer-songwriter who consistently cranks out gorgeous, edgy and inspired tunes. For this release, the follow-up to her highly praised album Greetings From Port Authority, Benna got busy in the studio with Louie Lino, best known for his opening theme music for the TV show Politically Incorrect on ABC. Together, the two spent an extended period of time fleshing out new ways of making music. In addition to acoustic and electric guitars, Benna played most of the bass tracks as well as the keyboards. She enlisted both Ira Elliot from Nada Surf and Paul Garisto (Psychedelic Furs, Iggy Pop, Bree Sharp) to lay down drum tracks.

This highly anticipated addition to her body of work demonstrates a newfound maturity and depth reminiscent of such artists as the Beatles, Big Star, Nick Drake, David Bowie, Stevie Wonder, Shawn Colvin and Stereolab. "To Call Benna a more talented and more incisive version of a classic 1970¹s songwriter (maybe Carole King) would be to cheat her outright, but her work is possessed of such a timeless sense of beauty and insight that it¹s hard not to think big when considering her talent," says Time Out DC.

After completing her recording sessions, Benna gathered a bundle of exquisite songs for the CD; some solo acoustic, many with lush instrumentation and backing vocals. She sent the songs to Jeff Nelson who¹d been supportive of her music since he first caught her show at Iota in Arlington, VA back in 1997. Nelson loved what he heard and offered to put a record out as is on his side label Adult Swim. A long-time fan of Dischord and the DC hardcore scene, Benna realized this was an offer she could not pass up. She as been touring the US constantly and is playing dates in Texas and California to support her album.

Born and raised in Elmhurst, Benna, who was named after her maternal Maltese grandfather, was an only child to her real estate father and entertaining mother. They were regulars in community theater and encouraged their daughter to perform as well. This meant playing piano and acting, and such activities allowed Benna to grow spiritually and emotionally. When her family moved to nearby Hartsdale as Benna was entering junior high, a rude awaking would stop Benna in her daydreaming tracks. Early adolescence is riddled with self-esteem issues thanks to cliques, and naturally Benna experienced the ups and downs of being a young teenager. To save herself from dwelling on being made fun of for her funky clothes, Benna immersed herself in art and singing lessons, tennis, dance, and acting classes. Summers spent in Malta allowed Benna to craft her music; she grew into her wispy, honeyed voice and learned to play guitar. The music of the Runaways, Emmylou Harris, the Roches, and Rickie Lee Jones carried Benna into college, where she developed as a writer of non-fiction, poetry, and prose. Brief acting stints in London and Manhattan as well as acting classes with Julie Bovasso tied her over for a short period of time, but it would take a move to the East Village to ultimately inspire Benna to bring her songs to the forefront.

In the early '90s, Sin-e was a popular dwelling spot for up and coming singer/songwriters, most notably Jeff Buckley, Sarah McLachlan, and Paula Cole. Benna found Sin-e to be a saving grace, a place where she could finally belong. She had enough courage to record a self-made demo with her pal Judson Wright as grunge took over mainstream radio; the lo-fi Tunnel Songs sold well at local shows, leaving CMJ and The Village Voice to praise Benna and pushing her into the indie underground. In 1996, Greetings from Port Authority was issued on Evil Teen, capturing Benna's lush illustrations of her beloved New York. Tours across North America followed into the new millennium. Benna's brightest material to date, What's Meant to Be, appeared in 2003. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide