Label: Independent
Jessie
Rae is blues/folk/pop band hailing from Portland Oregon. They are led by Joan
M. Meyer (Singer/songwriter, guitar, bass, keyboards) who provides the edgy
from the gut vocals that all blues or blues influenced music requires. There
are many contributors to their projects however I need to cite Lauren G. Semler
(Guitar, bass, backup vocals) as another key member. He plays some mighty fine
guitar and provides some crafty slide guitar when called upon. Both members
collaborate on the production end of the equation and Joan also gets behind the
boards for the engineering. So to say they have it all covered is spot on.
Blue
Funk is their most recent release. Joan’s vocals find the
groove especially well when “Back Then” starts. They lay down a funky groove
and take a look at the past of the character in the song. The presence of
Joan’s vocal style hits home and the band is crackin’ on all cylinders. Besides
the funk filled guitar lines the bass and drums just cook right along, and then
you get some cow bell to drive it along another step further as the six string
hollers out “Hear Me!”
“Garden of Eden” makes the entire album for me. It was
without a doubt the apex of the entire recording. John Dawson of New Riders of
the Purple Sage wrote the song. It’s the only cover on the album. All the rest
are original songs. The track carries
a great message, the music and Joan’s vocals are perfect as well. She sings “We
live in the Garden of Eden and we want to tear it down.” That is one of many
messages that ring true in our world today. Lauren’s slide work gives the oomph
necessary to get your attention and really hear what Joan is singing about.
The same thing happens with the curtain closer “Thank
You.” It is another message about being thankful and grateful from the singer. Once
again the slide guitar rules the day and the funky guitar lines intermingle
with a strong bottom line as the bass and drums fall into sync and take a few
bows of their own. It is the appropriate follow up to the previous track and an
excellent choice to close out the album.
Jessie Rae is an effective combination of blues, folk and
pop. This is not traditional blues however what they do is take the foundation
of that sound and build on it and stretch things out a bit. There are enough
elements of all three genres to keep it interesting from start to finish. Check
out Blue Funk for a soulful musical
cruise.
4/5
Stars
Key
Tracks: Garden of Eden, Thank You, Back Then
Tracks:
01. Now That We Know
02. In My Wake
03. Sparky
04. For the Corporation
05. Is This It
06. Back Then
07. Go Away
08. Blue Funk
09. Garden of Eden
10. Thankful
01. Now That We Know
02. In My Wake
03. Sparky
04. For the Corporation
05. Is This It
06. Back Then
07. Go Away
08. Blue Funk
09. Garden of Eden
10. Thankful
Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck
Founder of:
July 29, 2016
Review
Provided By Write A Music Review
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