I wonder if anybody ever thinks Danielle Egnew is Pope Jane, in the way
that people confuse Ian Anderson (the man) with Jethro Tull (his band).
They would certainly be justified. Not to diminish the role and input of
Pope Jane bassist Holly Jerke and drummer Kristen Coyner, but in addition to lead and (prominent) background vocals, Egnew played guitar and keyboards, did the sequencing and basically wrote t he entire new Pope Jane album, Industry Whore.

She arranged, mixed, produced and mastered it at Crowded Livingroom Studio (I wonder whose living room?). Oh I almost forgot, album art design and layout by Ms. Egnew. This is one talented lady.

There are lots of folks to thank in the liner notes, but Jerry Mathers as
the Beaver is the only one I've ever met (after-show party at a
Heart/Nightranger show). Pope Jane have a loyal following who I'm sure are thrilled this album is finally out.

I recognized a few songs from having heard them live, like the opening
track "Forgive Myself" and the infamous "Chicken Song", but most of it is new to me. If it were not for Egnew's unmistakable voice, much of the
material would be barely recognizable as Pope Jane songs. I find it more interesting than last year's "Hide Me from the Moon."

Again, Egnew's creative arranging and production make the strongest
statement here. The music at times ventures into techno pop with "Been
There, Done That" and "Shut the Hell Up", while instrumentals "Mayonnaise" and "Clean Up" range almost into TexMex and electronica (the latter is my favorite track).

The immediate nature of the material is evidenced by the inclusion of
tracks 9 through 11 specifically to honor the 9-11-01 victims. A Middle
Eastern-flavored version of Mallotes' "The Lord's Prayer" is Track 9, "We Call It Home" follows and the aforementioned "Clean Up" is the 11th track.

Industry Whore is quite an achievement for this Billings, Montana band,
which may ironically find some industry interest after this not so subtle
nose-thumbing project in the music industry's direction. To hear some of it yourself, go to www.popejanemusic.com.