Album Reviews

Oh, to be the sweet new kid on the block. With tousled blonde locks and saucer-sized doe eyes, Jessie Baylin is that soft and sought-after girl next door. But boys beware: This gal is wise beyond her 24 years, and she's way above any b.s. from the X-Y chromosome. Her latest album, Firesight, is proof of that.

Kicking the set off with the easy groove of "See How I Run" and the jazzy, full-bodied swagger of "Leave Your Mark," Baylin surfaces as a refreshingly mature artist. On the latter track, she crafts a country-influenced come-on that twinkles and shines in all the right ways. That's because as she croons for a lover to leave his mark somewhere on her, she doesn't adopt the over-sexed stance of her similarly aged musical peers. No, Baylin is flying high above that mess, and that’s what’s so endearing and impressive about her material; she unveils heartfelt and adult work you’d expect from someone twice her age. It helps, too, that she sounds more like a sultry Joni Mitchell than, say, Carrie Underwood.

Aside from its western plaid flair, Firesight, named after a restaurant/jazz bar that Baylin's family owned in New Jersey, is an engaging slice of folk-pop. Recorded in Nashville and featuring a little help here and there from buzzworthy friends, Cary Brothers and Brett Dennen, the collection takes on a warm summery quality throughout. The outstanding "I'll Cry for the Both of Us," where Baylin dreamily dismisses an ambiguous boy, is a dry-eyed heartbreaker that begs to score a late summer sunset. Later, drifting in the cozy confines of "Want," she drawls, "I want, I want, I want to give in to you. And I want, I want, I want to believe it, too." She makes us want just the same, especially since it's the last track on this superb mix. Reach for repeat, anything to prolong the heartrending, butterflies-in-your-belly feeling that Firesight evokes. Ugh, isn't it just like the girl next door to always leave us wanting more?

—Matthew Allard
07.01.08