Ledger – Ledger (EP Review)

She is cooking up something that is deliciously infectious, and Jen Ledger delivers an aperitif of her talents on her Ledger EP, which became available on Friday, April 13, 2018, thanks to Atlantic Records.

You know Jen Ledger as the Drummer/Vocalist for the multi-platinum, Grammy-nominated Christian Rock quartet Skillet. A member of the band since 2008, English native Ledger has toured the world for the past decade with the band, recording three albums – 2009’s Awake, 2013’s Rise, and 2016’s Unleashed. A seasoned musical vet, she has shared stages with the likes of Korn, Stone Sour, In This Moment, Nickelback, Theory of a Deadman, Halestorm, Shinedown, and many, many more.

Now with a hunger for something more, Ledger delivers her solo debut, the self-titled Ledger EP, a six-song collection that proves her talents in-front of the drumkit. Each song in the collection was co-written by Ledger, who covers a myriad of topics in her candid and raw lyrics, from love and heartache to anxiety and the need to keep fighting. Produced by her Skillet bandmate Korey Cooper and Grammy Award-winning Songwriter/Producer Seth Mosley, of the Christian Rock band Me in Motion, the Ledger EP is a stellar collection that promises a great future for this siren.

Triumphant, “I’m Not Dead Yet” sees Ledger showing off her sassy Rock chops, weaving a catchy, almost danceable track that cements her talents as a solo artist. Next, the emphatic beat of “Warrior” sees her joined by her Skillet compadre John Cooper for a truly infectious good time. Meanwhile, electronic atmospherics weave the core of the self-empowerment anthem “BOLD.”

Ledger plays with children’s rhymes on the Synthpop-tinged “Foreigner,” which builds into explosive, soaring choruses that wink at other outsiders who possess a fire in their souls that causes them to search for something more. In turn, a confession of the crushing abilities of love, ballad “Ruins” serves to highlight the upper-register of Ledger’s wispy, angelic vocals. She then boldly cranks it back up, to end with the scrumptious synths that anchor the bass-heavy, dance groove of “Iconic,” an infectious fiesta of hip-shaking Rock-n-Roll.

It would be entirely unfair to judge the potential of a career on six songs alone, so the Ledger EP merely stands as a whetting of the appetite for more material from this truly talented lady. Sure, half the tracks closely embrace her Skillet family (“I’m Not Dead Yet,” “Warrior,” “Iconic”), but the collection is fraught with intelligently poetic lyrics, prose that weave a curious sense of searching for something much greater than ourselves. Ultimately, the Ledger EP shows abundant heaps of promise for this talented woman as a solo artist, even if we do not want her to quit her ‘day job.’ For these reasons, CrypticRock give Ledger’s Ledger EP 5 of 5 stars.

Purchase Ledger:

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1 Comment

  • I know this is old. But I am a huge LEDGER fan and i agree so much. Jen’s music is uplifting and enjoyable. Her music saved my life and helped me reconnect to my faith.

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