Jenie Oliver comes from a long line of singers and musicians. She started singing in the church choir, as most of the good ones do. It wasn't long before Jenie was offered a part on the local childrens' TV series "Tick Tock Time" , which ran for 2 years. When she became a teenager, Jenie discovered "rock and roll!" and started writing songs with her band "Stardust". "Stardust" went on to win the Inter High Schools Talent Competition and later recorded a demo record. She perfomed in "The Sound Of Music", "Charlie Brown", "Grease" and "The Boyfriend" at the Artscape Theatre in Cape Town. When Jenie won the "Hope S.A." award for one of her original songs, she decided to put her acting career on hold and joined up with the number one hit singer André De Villiers. At this time she also worked as a session singer and recorded the childrens' series "Sounds Fun" with well-known Musical Director Ken Higgins. Some of the music shows Jenie performed in locally and at the Grahamstown Arts Festival were: Black and Proud, Jerry and the Trix, Vuselella, The Bob Dylan Tribute Show, Kiss The Sky, Nick Taylor's Titanic, Letters To Patient Essop, Graham Weir's Elastic Band and Sixty Something. Graham and Christine Weir offered her a part in the acapella show "The Stompneus Varkies" and then later she joined them in the hit show "Not The Midnight Mass" which toured SA and the UK to great acclaim. Determined to pursue her recording career Jenie produced "Pilgrims", a collection of songs which didn't sell all that well at the time. Undeterred, she recorded "Blackcurrant" and "Better Than Magic" which had pretty much the same result. Jenie decided to take a new approach and recorded "Live at the Leopard Lounge" which was much more gentle and vocal orientated. Similar in fact to Eva Cassidy style. This record sold out in no time at all and prompted the next and latest production "All this love" (released in December 2006). The style of "All this love" is gentle and laid back with a view to creating a “sit back and relax with your feet up” experience. Even songs like “Fix You”, which, in the Coldplay version, gets rather heavy in the refrain, has been given the light treatment but retains the deep-felt emotional pull. To hear Jenie sing is an experience on it’s own as many of her fans have commented; Her voice simply does something to one’s soul. Well, these tracks are Jenie at her best. From the beautiful “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” to the light and airy “Nine Million Bicycles” the listener will be enchanted. The original track “All This Love” (also the album's title) is a Celtic hop with all original Irish instruments including the Bodran, features Savuka’s drummer Barry Van Zyl on Percussion and Duncan MacKay of Kate Bush, 10cc and Cockney Rebel fame on Keyboards. The original track “Just For Today” has a counterpoint melody with lyrics that are reminiscent of The Beatles “I Am The Walrus”. The original track “Crazy Without You” features American protest singer Jesse Dyen who happened to be in South Africa at the time. PRESS REVIEWS ... "we listened to Norah Jones. Or at least I thought we were until Jenie Oliver strolled past us microphone in hand. At which point I nearly fell off the couch. She's that good .... a singer so good that a friend of mine saw fit to delay his departure in order to record with her." -- Hotel Magazine-- "Jenie has broken the mould and uses "self-taught singing techniques" to produce her very own style. Her popular repertiore includes a diverse range of genres..." -- Argus-- She has been described as "the artist about to unleash a storm of talent on the music scene". A former member of shows such as Sixty Something and Not the Midnight Mass, her play list takes her from sweet jazz to sensuous ballads and contemporary pop. --Top Of The Times--
