photo by Mike TD Photo; photo courtesy of Knyvet

Single Reviews of Jennifer Tefft and the Strange: “Salt and the Sea,” “A Little More,” and “Silver”

Kickass New England rockers Jennifer Tefft and the Strange are back! And by “back,” I mean that the 2024 New England Music Awards Album of the Year winners have released three singles over the last eight or nine months. But hey, they’re back on the Blog!

cover art by Stephen “Sharky” Beccia; image courtesy of Jennifer Tefft

“Salt and the Sea” dropped in November 2025, featuring the foursome of Jennifer Tefft (vocals, acoustic guitar), John Parrillo (guitar), Stephen “Sharky” Beccia (bass), and Tim Provost (drums), as did “A Little More,” released in February 2026. Chris Jost has taken Provost’s place on the skins, appearing in a recording for the first time on the new single “Silver,” released just last month, in June 2026.

On their trio of recent singles, Jennifer Tefft & the Strange confirm their place as one of the region’s premier straightforward guitar-driven rock bands. While this kind of music has increasingly been referred to as alternative rock, it’s the sort of music that, in previous decades, would have been radio rock and/or album-oriented rock, though an AOR band with hit single potential.

photo by John Parrillo; photo courtesy of Knyvet

“Salt and the Sea” is the Strange’s haunting yet precisely, relentlessly, methodically advancing cover of The Lumineers’ song of, obviously, the same name. Indeed, the song builds and builds, vocally and musically gaining strength but still remaining a little ethereally aloof, sonically speaking. If you’re familiar with the original, the Strange’s cover is in some ways very true to the original, but at the same time, in their hands it’s a kickass rock song. The pianowork on the original becomes an enigmatic pulsing rockin’ rhythm, and Tefft herself puts a little more of a smooth finish on the vocals. Still just as haunting, but haunting as sung by a top shelf rock vocalist.

cover art by Stephen “Sharky” Beccia; cover design by Jennifer Tefft; image courtesy of Knyvet

“A Little More” was a re-release of a song Tefft had recorded solo. This is the full-band’s rendition, noted on Bandcamp as “A Little More (Strange Version).” If I circle back and listen to the earlier recording, it was indeed stripped-down. This is very much to rock concert version, and for those of us who prefer full band performances, I absolutely dig the makeover. There’s a recent Jennifer Tefft and the Strange are a popular draw when they perform live, and it’s because of what this talented group of musicians is able to achieve as a foursome. As such, this recording of “A Little More” delivers this great song with a rich, full sound that makes it pop.

cover art by Stephen “Sharky” Beccia; cover design by Jennifer Tefft; image courtesy of Knyvet

Finally, just a few weeks ago, the band released its new single “Silver.” The rhythm section drives this not-quite-anthemic, mid-tempo, mainstream-friendly alt-rocker, while guitarist Parrillo weaves some nuanced guitarwork into the song to really make it stand out. Granted, with a powerhouse vocalist like Tefft behind the mic, every song’s going to jump off the vinyl a little, but the Strange next-levels it to be a memorable song. The line “where’s my silver lining day” might sound a little Bangles-ish, and I’ve often compared Tefft’s voice to Pat Benatar, but this song features an in-between, edgy mainstream alt-rock howl that not’s really quite either. And after hearing an album-plus of Jennifer Tefft and the Strange songs, I really think this one taps into the very best of the band’s sound, a song that seems not to call for comparison but, rather, is definitive of the band’s Strange sound. “Silver” is what a Jennifer Tefft and the Strange hit song/crowd favorite, in their identifiable sound, would sound like. Rather, does sound like.

Jennifer Tefft and the Strange are one of the region’s top bands, so if you don’t have their new material, then you’ll be psyched to hear about these new releases. And if you’re new to the band, well, hey, this is just the start. You have some back catalog to check out, too. Lucky you!