{"id":15846,"date":"2016-10-09T23:09:20","date_gmt":"2016-10-10T06:09:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/?p=15846"},"modified":"2016-11-09T10:38:05","modified_gmt":"2016-11-09T17:38:05","slug":"video-feature-interview-jonatha-brooke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/2016\/10\/video-feature-interview-jonatha-brooke\/","title":{"rendered":"VIDEO FEATURE &#038; INTERVIEW JONATHA BROOKE"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-15919\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/jonatha-brooke.jpg\" alt=\"jonatha-brooke\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/jonatha-brooke.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/jonatha-brooke-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>VIDEO FEATURE &amp; WEB-EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW<\/strong><\/p>\n<h1>Musician:<strong> \u00a0JONATHA BROOKE<\/strong><\/h1>\n<h3>Song: \u201c<strong>Midnight Hallelujah<\/strong>\u201d<\/h3>\n<h3><strong>Songwriters: Jonatha Brooke &amp; Mark Batson<\/strong><\/h3>\n<h3><strong>Video: Directed &amp; Produced by Nigel Dick<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7pzLWqJQOTc\" width=\"660\" height=\"371\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Jonatha Brooke is an incredibly talented singer, songwriter, guitarist and musician whose songs have so much tuneful melody, rhythm, color and character. When you hear her sing, you immediately know her songs should be in heavy rotation on every major radio station in all markets of the country. Her songwriting is incisive and the poetry of her words cuts to the heart of the ideas she coveys so effectively in each verse and chorus. Her guitar work, especially her chord choices and however she invents them, is truly otherworldly. The combination reveals a song that leaves the listener in awe while making you want to move your feet and your whole body with every powerful down beat.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-15853\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Jonatha-Brooke-7-Sweetwater-Studios-p1820592431-o771225337-4.jpg\" alt=\"jonatha-brooke-7-sweetwater-studios-p1820592431-o771225337-4\" width=\"660\" height=\"439\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Jonatha-Brooke-7-Sweetwater-Studios-p1820592431-o771225337-4.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Jonatha-Brooke-7-Sweetwater-Studios-p1820592431-o771225337-4-300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In recent years, Brooke extended her creative palette by writing and performing a powerful one-woman musical, <em>My Mother Has 4 Noses<\/em>, about the struggles and lessons she learned while taking care of her mother with dementia through the final two years of her life. That journey has brought her to this new insightful album.<\/p>\n<p>In the 11 new tracks of <em>Midnight. Hallelujah.<\/em>, Jonatha Brooke brilliantly balances the soulfulness of her songs with rock, pop and jazz inflections, while maintaining thought-provoking lyrics.<\/p>\n<p>For Brooke, songwriting has to flow naturally, and she says \u201cI don\u2019t believe in forcing a song into existence.\u201d Brooke easily admits that she usually does everything she can to avoid sitting down and writing. She says, \u201cThe irony is that even after 12 records, it doesn\u2019t get easier.\u201d Oddly enough, she enjoys working with deadlines\u2014and a little pressure. She feels she can be more effective with time constraints. She says, \u201cSongwriting has to flow naturally. I have to just let it happen. And when it does, I\u2019m at the whim of the muse.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Midnight. Hallelujah.<\/em>\u00a0was primarily recorded at\u00a0Sweetwater Studios\u00a0in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Produced by Brooke along with\u00a0Mark Hornsby,\u00a0Phil Naish, and\u00a0Eric Bazilian, the songs cover a wide sonic landscape and feature themes of faith, love, and addiction. The stellar team at Sweetwater Studios included Nick D\u2019Virgilio on drums, Don Carr on guitar, Dave Martin on bass and Phil Naish on keyboards.<\/p>\n<p>A couple of weeks ago,\u00a0we featured her song \u201cPut the Gun Down.\u201d Today, we feature her video \u201cMidnight Hallelujah\u201d and a web-exclusive interview where Jonatha Brooke discusses songwriting and her creative process, her love for the kalimba, and her memorable journey over the past 30 years of making amazing music that touches the heart and moves the soul.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h1><strong>JONATHA BROOKE Web-Exclusive Interview<\/strong><\/h1>\n<h3><strong>with\u00a0<em>M Music &amp; Musicians<\/em>\u00a0magazine publisher, Merlin David<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>How did the idea of the song \u201cMidnight Hallelujah\u201d come to you?<\/strong><br \/>\nI actually got the idea while I was still caring for my mom. I moved my mother in with me in 2010\u2014she had dementia. She was an amazing Mom, and she passed away in 2012. The Bible, prayer, the religion I was raised in were her daily touchstones, her solace. But I\u2019ve always struggled with it. You can\u2019t argue with dementia, so I started arguing with myself. What is faith? Why so much hypocrisy among \u201cfaithful.\u201d Then I got obsessed with combining that clash of faith and carnal love into one sexy chorus!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Did this experience strengthen your faith\u2014or help you understand what faith is?<\/strong><br \/>\nShepherding my Mom through such intense physical and emotional struggles brought us both to what is to me the very elemental level of faith\u2014love. Mom was so devoted to prayer. She relied on prayer for healing for most of her life, but when it failed, I stepped in and had to make the hard decisions. Dementia really strips it down. What mattered in the end? Human love, human touch, the smell of the cocoa butter lotion, her favorite cream of wheat cereal, listening to Andrea Bocelli. These were the things that replaced faith in the end.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is your creative process for writing songs?<\/strong><br \/>\nI have a gazillion voice memos on my phone, and I always go back and reference those ideas. I hate to admit it, but after all these years, I am still a loose cannon of ideas and methods. I avoid writing like the plague during some stretches, and then sometimes I go deep in and can barely surface for anything else. It almost always starts with an inkling of a lyrical idea, the tickle in the pit of my belly that I might be on to something, a really cool guitar lick in a new tuning.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How do you keep song ideas fresh\u2014and continue to think of new ideas?<\/strong><br \/>\nI am obsessed with books. For me it\u2019s all about reading\u2014because really, my life isn\u2019t all that fascinating. (<em>Laughs<\/em>) Fiction, non-fiction, poetry, the daily newspaper. There are so many great stories, turns of phrase leaping off pages into my songs. I can\u2019t help it. Both my parents were writers. My brothers are writers. Words are the family trade.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How has co-writing shaped your music?<\/strong><br \/>\nI am still a very reluctant co-writer. Although, there are a few co-writes on this record. I <em>love <\/em>writing with Eric Bazilian because we have a blast and he doesn\u2019t mind how bossy I am. (<em>Laughs<\/em>) Mark Batson is a treat because he has such a broad musical palette. In the end, for better or worse, I\u2019m happiest in my own little room\u2014making up my weird chords and progressions and odd meters. So the co-writing is good for me. It gets me out of my precious corner\u2014into new stomp and snarl territory.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Did you want to co-write, or did you get thrown into it. Seems like you like it.<\/strong><br \/>\nThere are very few co-writes, and very far between. Some of these co-writes began a few years ago. Most of them were in the hopper. The two Batson songs started two years ago when I was writing for the Dixie Chicks. They ended up with another song for Courtyard Hounds. And Eric Bazilian\u2014I could co-write with him any time.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Your words are crafted so well (like \u201creligion\u201d and \u201csin\u201d almost in the same breath). Does this flow easily or take a lot of rewriting?<\/strong><br \/>\nThe best words simply appear. You just get out of the way, and hope you haven\u2019t borrowed or stolen by mistake. (<em>Laughs<\/em>) There\u2019s always a process of edit, weed, synthesize, make better. But if it\u2019s too harrowed or sticky, it\u2019s often best to set a lyric aside until the intention is clear. Pummeling words into submission has never been productive for me.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How do you do such a fantastic job of balancing rock, pop, jazz with the soulfulness of your songs\u2014while maintaining though-provoking lyrics?<\/strong><br \/>\nThat\u2019s an amazing compliment. Thank you. I have no idea! (<em>Laughs<\/em>) I think my influences are broad, and my standards are really high. So each of the elements I bring to the table has to be top notch to sustain me. I\u2019ve been lucky enough to work with some of the best musicians in the world. So they kick my ass, and then I get better. In some ways I\u2019m just now getting to a steady confidence. And whether it\u2019s vocally, harmonically or lyrically\u2014there has to be a level of truth or people sniff out the bull.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-15852\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Jonatha-Brooke-3-stairs.jpg\" alt=\"jonatha-brooke-3-stairs\" width=\"660\" height=\"660\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Jonatha-Brooke-3-stairs.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Jonatha-Brooke-3-stairs-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Jonatha-Brooke-3-stairs-300x300.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Tell us one experience where something unique inspired you to write a song.<\/strong><br \/>\nOne of the new songs, \u201cHashtag Lullaby,\u201d was inspired by a book called <em>Ghettoside<\/em>. Jill Leovy, a Los Angeles journalist, spent almost 10 years chronicling the work of inner-city detectives solving drug murders, gang murders, kids killing kids\u2014the unsung, untold lives. One detective in particular was devoted to his work\u2014despite its harrowing, thankless, relentless toll. He told her simply: \u201cEverybody was somebody\u2019s baby.\u201d Even though some of the murders would go unsolved\u2014people too scared to step up and talk\u2014he carried on, determined to give those mothers answers.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What songwriting tip would you like to offer?<\/strong><br \/>\nI say this in my songwriting workshops all the time. You must sing it, the way you would say it. Walk around\u2014find a rhythm, a meter, some kind of cadence that isn\u2019t just the same thing you\u2019ve tried a million times. Hone it, pace it, talk to it. Speak it first. Hum it. Don\u2019t fence it in. Get it in your body. Then, it will feel right when you locate its melody, its tempo, its key. For me, singing\/writing is visceral, physical. When the song is a keeper, you feel it in your bones. Oh, and if there\u2019s a really important word, do not deny the downbeat\u2014say it on the one!<\/p>\n<p><strong>How does where you live (New York, LA, Nashville) or travel influence your music?<\/strong><br \/>\nI think the only and best influence of living in New York is there are that many more distinctive voices here. There are all sorts of collaborations waiting to happen. That\u2019s exciting. Traveling gets you out of your comfort zone and throws new stories your way. But I do think that the writing part can happen anywhere. Coffee. Guitar. Pajamas. Couch. Done.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Who encouraged you to play different instruments, and how old were you?<\/strong><br \/>\nMy family is pretty musical\u2014trumpet, bagpipes, piano. But it was my father who bought me a guitar for Christmas\u2014when I was 12. I was infatuated with my camp counselor, Mindy Jostyn (she played with John Mellencamp and the Hooters), and I wanted to be like <em>her<\/em>. From there, I would pick up new toys along the way. I played by ear\u2014piano, bass. When I wanted a very specific part, kalimba\u2014because it\u2019s such a haunting, cool sound (and Earth, Wind &amp; Fire, believe it or not, was an influence.) Lately I\u2019m obsessed with mandolin. For me it\u2019s another way into writing. Sometimes, switching instruments throws you into the best unfamiliar territory. You surprise yourself with what you find there.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Who first inspired you to write songs?<\/strong><br \/>\nMy college professor, David Reck\u2014sophomore year. I took a composition class, and it was like being struck by lightning. (<em>Laughs<\/em>) \u201cOhhhhh! <em>Now<\/em> I get it. I\u2019m supposed to be doing <em>this<\/em>!\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Top 5 Musicians or Songwriters\u00a0who inspired you to become a musician?<\/strong><br \/>\nElis Regina\u2014top, top influence as a singer. Rickie Lee Jones, as a songwriter. Chopin, I will never get enough of the four Ballades. Joe Sample, for his compositional genius and the best grooves on the planet. Al Jarreau, for how he makes every single person in every single audience feel like he is singing directly to them.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tell us how this new album evolved, and the perceived dichotomy within the title <em>Midnight. Hallelujah.<\/em><\/strong><br \/>\nI was thinking and struggling a lot with the aftermath of caring for my Mom through two very intense years. And that led into my one-woman show <em>My Mother Has 4 Noses<\/em>, an Off Broadway run, and two more years of that being my sole focus. She actually had four prosthetic noses. And we had fun with it. We\u2019d make up songs, and she\u2019d say, \u201cAre you getting this down? You should make a Play out of it.\u201d I had a lot to write about, I guess. Dark and Light. I wouldn\u2019t have traded that time with my mother for anything. It truly was a love story I never expected to write. But I had a lot of stuff to pore through after she passed, dark and light. So I had to figure out who I was\u2014without her, and what I wanted to say next. \u201cLight Years\u201d is about the conversations we\u2019re still carrying on! Then, there are joyful, giddy songs on this record, \u201cReally, Really Love\u201d and \u201cYou and I,\u201d and also dark treacherous ones \u201cPut the Gun Down\u201d and \u201cI\u2019ve Got Nothing.\u201d Having lived and learned this much, this long, I am liberated. And I\u2019m old enough and certain enough to say exactly what I want to say. I\u2019ve always loved extremes that co-exist. Hence, Midnight <em>and <\/em>Hallelujah.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-15851\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Jonatha-Brooke-5-selfie.jpg\" alt=\"jonatha-brooke-5-selfie\" width=\"660\" height=\"660\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Jonatha-Brooke-5-selfie.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Jonatha-Brooke-5-selfie-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Jonatha-Brooke-5-selfie-300x300.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>How was your Sweetwater Studios experience\u2014working with Mark Hornsby and team?<\/strong><br \/>\nIt was a beautiful, painless process! (and that\u2019s unusual!) Mark invited me to come be part of a recording workshop in their studio last December. I showed up with six songs to explore during the week I was there. We caught a vibe and had a blast. The musicians there brought so much amazing virtuosity to the table. And it rolled out from there. We spent another two weeks recording later last spring. I did some overdubs in New York, and suddenly we had this really cool record!<\/p>\n<p><strong>How do you balance so many genres of music\u2014working with such a wide range of amazing musicians: from Joe Sample and Bruce Cockburn to Katy Perry and Chris Botti?<\/strong><br \/>\nI think a good song is a good song. You can dress it up however you like. But if it holds up with a voice and a guitar (or a kalimba!) in a room, you\u2019re good to go. The beauty of working with top-notch people is that their distinctive voices bring surprises that elevate a good song even further.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Where were you when you first heard one of your songs on the radio?<\/strong><br \/>\nI was buying sneakers in a mall in Santa Fe, New Mexico\u2014when \u201cWhen Two and Two are Five\u201d came on. I think I squealed like a 12 year old and ran to tell the saleslady.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tell us about a time when you shared the stage or recorded with a music hero.<\/strong><br \/>\nI got to sing with Joe Sample on the main stage at the Montreux Jazz Festival. That was a \u201cpinch me\u201d moment. Recording with Steve Gadd and Christian McBride is beyond musical dreaminess. Opening for Paul Simon a couple years ago, also at Montreux, didn\u2019t suck. It\u2019s hard to choose. I\u2019m a lucky girl.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What instrument<\/strong><strong>\/equipment can you not live without\u2014that helps you write, record, perform?<\/strong><br \/>\nI have a Casio Celviano piano that has a great feel, and great classic sounds. It\u2019s my go-to writing axe, but I also have a smaller road version that I take everywhere. Casio has bailed me out so many times\u2014thanks to Mike Martin. I did 70 Off-Broadway shows, and I made sure they saw the Casio name. Of course, my Olson guitar has become my sound. The Neumann M49 that I use on vocals. These are a few of the things that are essential to my feeling like myself, sounding the way I\u2019m supposed to sound.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Any musicians or songwriters you\u2019d love to work with in the future?<\/strong><br \/>\nI\u2019d like to hang out with Greg Wells again. It felt like we were just getting started when we wrote those Katy Perry songs. And I\u2019d like to work with Jack White.<\/p>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-15850\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Jonatha-Brooke-2-mandolin.jpg\" alt=\"jonatha-brooke-2-mandolin\" width=\"330\" height=\"496\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Jonatha-Brooke-2-mandolin.jpg 330w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Jonatha-Brooke-2-mandolin-199x300.jpg 199w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 330px) 100vw, 330px\" \/>What PRO are you with\u2014and how do they help you?<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>ASCAP <\/strong>has helped me so much over the years. Their timing is amazing. Often I\u2019ll be scraping bottom, and an ASCAP check will show up and bail me out. And they have special awards set up for us middle class artists who are working our butts off, but aren\u2019t on Top 40 radio.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tell us about working with a legend like Bob Clearmountain\u2014not only mixing your projects, but also recording\/tracking you.<\/strong><br \/>\nBob and I think alike. We hear things alike after all these years working together. Often, when we\u2019re tracking or mixing, I\u2019ll be sitting in the back listening, and before I can say, \u201cI think we need to double the acoustic,\u201d or \u201ccan we pan the accordion to the right and throw some juice on it\u201d\u2014he will have done it. We crack up all the time about that telepathy.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tell us about Bob Ludwig mastering your album. Do you work closely with that stage of the album?<\/strong><br \/>\nAgain, I am so lucky to have the two Bobs on my team. The two Bobs are like family for the past seven records. Mastering is usually a sacred day. If I can afford the dough and the time, I fly up to Portland and spend the day with Ludwig. We have lunch, tweak our mixes. It\u2019s heaven being so close to the project through every stage. And it allows me to keep learning about every element of record making.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Best advice someone has given you.<\/strong><br \/>\n\u201cJust don\u2019t worry about the mule going blind. You gotta sit in the wagon and hold the line.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>(My husband\u2019s favorite saying.) Every time I get anxious about what is or is not happening, or how we will make ends meet, he says this. I think he originally got it from Al Jarreau\u2019s dad. Pat [Rains] managed Al from the very beginning until about 1997.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What\u2019s next? Tour? Festivals? More writing? Studio?<\/strong><br \/>\nYes! All of it. And I\u2019m also working on two musicals as we speak. I\u2019m devoted to finishing <em>Quadroon<\/em>, the one I was working on with Joe Sample when he passed. And another one, working title <em>Switched<\/em>, with playwright Geoffrey Nauffts and director Sheryl Kaller. I\u2019m going into writing mode in November\/December on both of those.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What are your Top 5 favorite albums of all time?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Weird but true:<\/p>\n<p><em>Stompin\u2019 at the Savoy\u2014Live<\/em> (1983) \u2013 Rufus and Chaka Khan<\/p>\n<p><em>Elis &amp; Tom<\/em> (1974) \u2013 Antonio Carlos Jobim &amp; Elis Regina<\/p>\n<p><em>Lovesexy<\/em> (1988) \u2013 Prince<\/p>\n<p><em>The Magazine<\/em> (1984) \u2013 Rickie Lee Jones<\/p>\n<p><em>Four Ballades<\/em> \u2013 Chopin \u2013 any recording. I like hearing different interpretations.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-15847\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Top5-Albums-Jonatha-Brooke.jpg\" alt=\"top5-albums-jonatha-brooke\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Top5-Albums-Jonatha-Brooke.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Top5-Albums-Jonatha-Brooke-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Where can your new fans get more info and stay updated?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/JonathaBrooke.com\" target=\"_blank\">JonathaBrooke.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/4noses.org\" target=\"_blank\">4noses.org<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/Facebook.com\/jonathabrooke\/\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook.com\/jonathabrooke\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jonathabrooke\" target=\"_blank\">Twitter.com\/jonathabrooke<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/Pledgemusic.com\/projects\/jonathabrookealbum\" target=\"_blank\">Pledgemusic.com\/projects\/jonathabrookealbum<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h1><em>\u2018Jonatha Brooke brilliantly balances the soulfulness of her songs with rock, pop and jazz inflections, while maintaining thought-provoking lyrics.\u2019<\/em><\/h1>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-15859\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Jonatha-Brooke-Casio.png\" alt=\"jonatha-brooke-casio\" width=\"660\" height=\"454\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Jonatha-Brooke-Casio.png 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Jonatha-Brooke-Casio-300x206.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/p>\n<h1><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/h1>\n<p><em><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-15848\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Jonatha-Brooke-4-instrument.jpg\" alt=\"jonatha-brooke-4-instrument\" width=\"330\" height=\"496\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Jonatha-Brooke-4-instrument.jpg 330w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Jonatha-Brooke-4-instrument-199x300.jpg 199w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 330px) 100vw, 330px\" \/><\/em><\/p>\n<h3><em>\u2018Jonatha Brooke\u2019s songwriting is incisive and the poetry of her words cuts to the heart of the ideas she coveys so effectively in each verse and chorus. Her guitar work, especially her chord choices and however she invents them, is truly otherworldly. The combination reveals a song that leaves the listener in awe while making you want to move your feet and your whole body with every powerful down beat.\u2019<\/em><\/h3>\n<h3><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>VIDEO FEATURE &amp; WEB-EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW Musician: \u00a0JONATHA BROOKE Song: \u201cMidnight Hallelujah\u201d Songwriters: Jonatha Brooke &amp; Mark Batson Video: Directed &amp; Produced by Nigel Dick Jonatha Brooke is an incredibly talented singer, songwriter, guitarist and musician whose songs have so much tuneful melody, rhythm, color and character. When you hear her sing, you immediately know her [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15855,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7725],"tags":[8347,8317,8329,8345,6271,8337,8338,1901,2601,8332,6660,8326,1687,4590,8316,8318,8351,8323,6603,8314,7931,8324,8071,8348,8327,8312,8342,8319,6932,8313,3408,8320,8328,562,8067,8346,8315,5671,7566,8311,6915,3010,8069,5031,8321,7978,8330,8074,8335,8170,8174,8333,8334,8339,1857,8070,8350,4160,8340,8325,8344,8343,8331,6734,8341,8322,8336,8349],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15846"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15846"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15846\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15920,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15846\/revisions\/15920"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15855"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15846"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15846"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15846"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}