Born and raised in small town New Jersey, Jessie Baylin would go on to attend art school in New York, but ultimately found herself in Nashville, where she developed her talents as a songwriter and performer. She recorded five albums all produced by the late Richard Swift, establishing her career with kudos from publications like Rolling Stone, NPR and The New York Times.
Following Swift’s passing, she found herself lost and unsure whether she could write and record again. By chance, producer Daniel Tashian “tricked” her into writing again. “I’m not sure I would have picked up a guitar again without Daniel’s persistence,” Baylin says, “but deep down I must not have needed that much convincing, because as soon as I did, the music just started pouring out.”
The songs written with Tashian felt more vulnerable to her than she was used to, but deep down she knew she needed to reconnect with that inner child she’d left behind. Jersey Girl, her latest release takes the listener along on her journey through dealing with lost friends, learning to let go of the past in order to accept both the good and bad parts, and leading her to embrace the joy and fulfillment of finding her roots.
“There’s this Isadora Duncan quote that I carried with me through everything,” Baylin recalls. “She said ‘You were once wild here. Don’t let them tame you.’ So I wrote the album from that place, with that no intention of embracing my roots – no matter how messy, no matter how wild – that make me who I am”
Jersey Girl hits a groove right from the opening notes of “Nightflowers” a spacey guitar-based takes the listener back to the beach sounds of the many songwriters like Lesley Gore, Laura Nyro Carole King. That classic sound continues on the single, “That’s The Way,” a statement of confidence in the fortitude and honesty of her partner. That declaration is currently heard on Colorado Sound, KXT, WMOT, WFPK and KRML, with even more on deck.
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