Local artist feature: Reviewing Songstress Jessie Baylin
listen: jessie baylin – sweet for this one
jessie baylin plays at the hotel cafe 2006 (photos: anna webber)
jessie baylin plays live at the roxy 2008 (photo: anna webber)
Local artist feature: Reviewing Songstress Jessie Baylin
Singer and poet, Jessie Baylin’s style is organic and pure, uncontaminated by industry regime, mainstream artists, vocal lessons or theory. Her singing transcends all words and categories. Her luck is uncanny.
Baylin, 21, has been performing and recording less than a year, already signed a publishing contract with Sony, befriended big talent in the industry and enamored thousands of listeners across the world. Many of these aficionados have formed, by themselves, a street team to spread her music.
“She’s an unsigned artist, only been playing for the last year or so, but has managed to capture the elusive ‘industry buzz’,” said singer/songwriter Zack Hexum.
Her music is timeless, leaving a glimmer of hope in the fate of jazz, soul, blues and rock n’roll.
“It’s like Joni Mitchell meets Billie Holiday meets Stevie Nicks,” Baylin said. “It brings people together, bridges generation gaps.”
Baylin is a deep breath of fresh air from the trifling mainstream pop singers. She offers insight into her beautifully constructed reality, one of pleasure spiked with pain.
“I had a rough summer, but if I could have done it over again, I would have spent the whole year black and blue,” she said at a recent Hotel Café performance in Hollywood on January 16. Her friend John Mayer was there in support. “John said that this year, my music was the soundtrack to his life, it painted the year. Regardless of who it is, it’s a gift to hear that,” Baylin said.
Her powerful spirit rings true through her songs, naturally deterring her extraordinary looks with her soft, yet hypnotizing, voice.
“I write my songs so deep in me. It’s almost like I’m completely disconnected…the song just flows through me,” she said.
Her performances are a warm blend of rootsy sass, aching uncertainty with an after-hours jazz club atmosphere. She has a captivating lyrical bite, evoking heartfelt melodies, and sings of enduring values.
Her unique approach is like none other. It offers a rare intensity, emotionally connecting her audience to her soul.
“If you know how to feel, you can enjoy this. Sometimes it doesn’t matter what music you like, if you can feel,” Baylin said. “Many artists let their ego drive their music. I don’t want people listening to that.”
Though heavily influenced by the classic women of American roots music like Ella Fitzgerald and Nina Simone, Jessie has a very fresh sound and is totally one-of-a-kind.
Live performances are rarely the same set. She is backed by a trio of seasoned musicians: upright bassist Paul Eckman, electric guitarist Pete Snell, and the brilliant female percussionist, Debra Dobkin.
“I can trust these people. I can stand up there, just me and my voice, and feel safe,” Baylin said.
Born and raised in New Jersey, coming to California was a move of independence and finding, or creating, herself.
“I came out to California with my parents in a U-haul when I was 18. They brought me here, set me up, and let me go,” Baylin said. “It was the best soul searching experience in my life.”
Initially a poet, Baylin always had something to say, but no idea how to say it. “I had to express myself. I was waiting for something to smack be between the eyes,” she said. “I love poetry, but it wasn’t enough. I needed people to hear my voice coming through on it, with my expression attached to it.”
Her eyes tell the whole story. One look, one song, one smile, and it’s love.
anna webber
