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Jennifer Batten talks 'BattleZone,' her new album with Jim Peterik and Marc Scherer.
It was supposed to be just another session gig for Jennifer Batten. She had been called to action by producer/guitarist/songwriter Jim Peterik and vocalist Marc Scherer to add solos to their latest project. But then, something wonderful and generous and surprising happened.
“I thought I was done after the second set of sessions,” says Batten, “but Marc called me and said, ‘You know, your guitar is actually another voice on the record, so I want you to be a bigger part of it.’”
That “bigger part” was actually an epic upgrade to the artist’s first-class lounge, as Batten’s name ended up on the marquee for the album, BattleZone by Scherer/Batten [MelodicRock].
“I think I’m in it by default,” she laughs. “I wasn’t such a big part of the thing at first—I kind of came in at the 11th hour.”
While movie directors often take total credit for resolutely collaborative works with their “A Film By” credit, it’s truly gratifying that Peterik and Scherer recognized and honored Batten’s contributions “above the title.” And she deserves it. Her fiery solos are astonishing—melodic and unpredictable and jaw dropping—and they help bring an already well-written and thrillingly produced project to a near-cinematic level of emotional impact.
How did Jim direct the initial sessions for BattleZone?
Jim guided me through parts he knew he wanted, or little decorations, but he basically just let me go for it. For the solos, he pretty much said, “Here’s where you start, and here’s where you stop.” They turned out to be the most prolific sessions I’ve ever done, because we recorded four songs in a day in a half, and we wrote a new song [“BattleZone”] after breakfast the