The Viper Room and Atlantic Records supplied the Open Bar and luncheon – however – it didn’t matter how drunk they got the guests, the music was phenomenal. By the first song, enough honest sweat was flowing out of his pores to mean he would not be letting up anytime soon – he’d done this before. Paolo has got the same Johnny Lang elated, scathing, rasp and quiver, mixed with Jeff Buckley moans and lingering “ooo’s” during the sultry ballads that were to die for. The timelessness of his music would throw a smile across anyone’s face and a chill down their spine as his boyish sincerity dabbled in motown and blues, reggae and barbershop bebop. As he picked up what appeared to be a watered down whiskey, smiling, he says “It’s the first one I’ve done of these things where everybody’s listening.” Not because he’s not extraordinary, but because he can be seen most often playing at big music halls, bigger concert venues, and music festivals like Coachella and Bonnaroo. And his giddy Scottish accent would sometimes sound more like a thick island one. It was adorable. In fact, all but one of the 6 piece band is from Scotland, and his 2007 record went platinum in the UK, and sold about 2 million copies. He played the single off of his last record, “New Shoes”, which Paolo is most notably known for. Keeping an eye on Paolo and awating the release of his next record out in June, he showed no deficit of talent Tuesday, no elevated ego.

Paolo Nutini @ Viper Room showcase (photo: anna webber)

listen to ingrid here: [03:27] Keep Breathing – Ingrid Michaelson

Michaelson collapsed all sense of expected genteel ladylike-ness on stage last Thursday at the El Rey, throwing the audience with a clandestine back-room chatter in between songs that shot out in spastic spurts throughout her soft, honest set.

Her voice is timeless, it speaks an old love song against a solo ukulele, the kind of ballad we don’t hear anymore, the kind our 90 year-old grandparents sing themselves to sleep with.  She really is timeless, talking love, inciting peace, some Republicans might even call her Socialist: “Let’s get rich and buy our parent’s home’s in the South of France / Let’s get rich and buy everybody nice sweaters and teach them how to dance / Don’t you worry there my honey, but we got our love to pay the bills.” In between songs, she was really, very honest and paid no never mind to whatever social tact we might be used to: “My girlfriends always tell me I shouldn’t talk about bowel movements onstage because it makes me seem less sexy. But I don’t really care.”

She didn’t care what she said, what we thought, and that’s really her message. Whipping up a carefree provocation to the rigid rest, to get loose and to say what you feel, feel what you say.

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