Jessie Brown

Jessie Brown's first release, the self-titled Jessie Brown EP, takes a bare bones approach to blues rock. Her influences are apparent: the album is marbled with layers of Janis Joplin and the Black Keys, especially evident in wonderfully gritty tracks "Sticks & Stones" and "Wolf." Sometimes the Black Keys style is almost cut and pasted straight from Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney ― the guitar licks, song structure and even chord progression of "Wolf" are entirely reminiscent of "Tighten Up." The final track on the EP is a beautiful cover of Bill Withers ballad "Hope She'll Be Happier" and is a perfect example of how Brown is proficient at choosing how to wield her most powerful instrument: her voice. She has the ability to rein it in, to the point where it gives off a vulnerable vibe, but when she lets it loose, it's easily the most effective element of the track. Jessie Brown is a strong musician and she and co-songwriter/guitarist Adrian Dunn are strong writers. As she develops her sound, her career will surely go interesting places.