Rising music star Jessica Lynn is being hailed by press around the world as a “rocket force.” With a relentless international touring schedule of 14+ countries, a pair of Top 40/Top 50 singles on country radio, and three full length concert television specials airing nationwide, the New York singer songwriter is quickly becoming a household name. Sharing stages with some of the most iconic names in the business (Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, Loretta Lynn, ZZ Top, Richard Marx, Lonestar, Montgomery Gentry, and others), her dynamic, high-energy performances showcasing her powerful voice and instrumental talents playing piano, guitar, harmonica, and drums have garnered rave reviews from critics worldwide while building a huge and loyal global fan base.
Her debut album ‘Lone Rider’ features thirteen well constructed songs covering topics such as love, life lessons and loss. The record kicks off with the already released ‘Now Or Never’, a feel good summer number which showcases Lynn’s ability to write catchy hooks right off the bat. Her talent for writing sing along choruses is apparent throughout the further twelve songs with ‘Getaway Car’ and its fun loving musical essence moving the album forward nicely.
Lynn isn’t just a pop songster though; her grittier side comes through in songs such as ‘One More Song’ and the title track ‘Lone Rider’. The first highlights her bands ability to compliment her vocals with husband Steve Sterlacci’s guitar playing slotting nicely into the mix and the latter giving the listener a more country and western sensibility, which some may know her for with previous releases like fan favourite ‘Roadhouse’ fitting more into this musical category. ‘Lone Rider’ could fit as part of a movie soundtrack as well as at a festival stage. Pedal steel guitarist Bob Riedel, who happens to be quite the ladies man at live shows too, performs a delightful solo in this track helping to round off the musical arrangements.
The acoustic ‘You Wouldn’t Know’ is perhaps one of the most memorable songs on the album with a beautiful duet between man and woman. It is performed delicately and the voices of both Lynn and her male counterpart Steven Marks from UK band ‘Gasoline and Matches’ intertwine beautifully. Lynn’s ability to slide between genres is enticing with ‘Love Me That Way’ embracing hints of 90’s Shania Twain and ‘You Won’t’ dropping in sly brass instruments to the mix giving off an 80’s Phil Collin’s-esque feel.
‘You Never Remind Me’ tells the story of a love lost with simple yet effective lyrics ‘I come home to dishes, a long day at work, hello from the sofa, you don’t even turn’. You never remind me of the way we were, maybe you’re tired, maybe you’re hurt. You only remind me you’re breaking my heart’. In contrast, ‘Love The Day Away’ is a playful ode to staying together for the entire day and forgetting about all the other responsibilities you hold in the world.
‘Worth It’ brings the self-worth topic to the album, an interesting choice with Lynn being an independent artist who after performing for many years is now just releasing her debut album. Speaking on the topic she says ‘I’ve always been an independent artist and it’s very difficult. I have dedicated my life to getting out there, shaking hands, doing social media to try and get people to understand my music, because you never have money as an independent artist. You always have to be creative and think about the most bang for your little buck that you have or how you’re going to do it. Putting out an album is a big undertaking and to get people to purchase an album is a bigger undertaking with streaming and Spotify, so I always try and do things the smart way, because we’ve always had very limited resources. For me, just putting out singles or live albums was always just the way to go. I never wanted to put so much of my heart and soul into something and then not be able to do something with it.’
The emotive ‘Run To’ followed by ‘The Morning Always Comes’; a strong pop ballad, ends the thirteen song journey with Lynn creating a strong case for many future albums to come. Her international touring schedule will definitely help solidify this and her determination makes her an artist to keep listening to.
Track List: 1) Now or Never 2) Getaway Car 3) One More Song 4) Lone Rider 5) Better Than That 6) You Wouldn’t Know 7) Love Me That Way 8) You Won’t 9) You Never Remind Me 10) Love The Day Away 11) Worth It 12) Run To 13) The Morning Always Comes Release Date: September 9th Record Label: Daydreamer Records Buy ‘Lone Rider’ now
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