Singers with Unique Voices: Justin Jenks (The Unique Voices Club #28)

Every Friday, I write a post about singers with unique voices not commonly heard in mainstream music in an effort to educate emerging artists and music lovers and inspire them to embrace their own quirks. This week I'm writing on Justin Jenks.

Not Justin Jenks. Just my mood. Photo by Xia Yang

The way the Blind Auditions are going right now on The Voice, I'm starting to think that NBC should hire me as a coach in a future season. Given the fates of Mark Shiiba and other unique voices in recent seasons, I'm in two minds about auditioning as a contestant (and it's common knowledge what happens to them, even winners, after they appear: nada). So put me in as a coach. I don't just know theatre and art dating back to Osiris. I know voices. The selling point of the show was to scout out unique and/or promising voices without relying on what the singers look like. Now it plays out more like Country Idol. Bottom line, we need unique voices. Everyone is starting to sound the same.

The reason why you can feel me hissing through your screen is Justin Jenks. I'm not just heavily lauding him because my alma mater's library bears his last name. Or because his wife and I have similar names. I'm writing about him because, as the name of the Club suggests, he belongs in it. And like me, he dresses like he walked out of the thrift stores that populate Coolidge Corner.

As September 29th's episode went on, I will admit except for the dude who sang Ray LaMontagne's "Trouble" (Marty O'Reilly, I remember) I was mostly trying not to claw my eyes out in frustration. That is, until Justin came on, armed with a guitar and a smooth Michael Jackson-like range and oboe-like falsetto to "Sex and Candy."

And the coaches didn't even fudgemallowing* turn.

(*My substitute for another word that isn't appropriate since my mom reads this. And it's been part of my vocabulary since high school.)

As much as I was skeptical of the Coach Replay button that they had before since some of the acts they used it on they should've fudgemallowing turned around for in the first place, I was grateful that they had something new that Carson Daly could use called Carson's Comeback or whatever. Which we didn't even know about it until he decided to use it on someone else in the first episode. And now I wish they had the Coach's Replay button. Watch his performance below and then say you don't agree with me.

As far as what Justin has already offered musically before deciding to be on the show, he is the lead singer of alternative pop/soul band The Moon Jays. And the stuff I'm listening to right now as I write this sounds like the kind of stuff I would cruise to on a long car ride. They call themselves "the greatest band you've never heard of," but if you're in the hipster Orange County area and have probably frequented some of the venues they play at, you likely have run into them at some point. Go follow them for me. And, since they're filming the next season right now, it is possible they may have asked Justin to come back. I love his band stuff but I hope we unconventional rebels stand behind him for his solo career.

And that is all for this week on The Unique Voices Club. The casualties that sometimes occur when viewers disagree with the choices of the powers that be in televised singing competitions are tragic, especially when it comes to unique voices. But then again, situations like these are exactly why I write this every week. Besides what I wrote in the first paragraph of course. We don't need everyone to sound the same in art, and those standards and ideals are what squash out the innate uniqueness that young emerging artists have. The coaches didn't pick you, Justin Jenks, but I and many other bloggers also cursing the producers did.

Don't forget to subscribe to the Patreon! Because if you join at the higher tier, you get to suggest unique voices for me to cover in the future, and you get the posts early! Among other things that will come soon.

Stay educated,

Alexia