Jamie Vessels
Gig Seeker Pro

Jamie Vessels

New Orleans, Louisiana, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2013 | SELF

New Orleans, Louisiana, United States | SELF
Established on Jan, 2013
Band Rock Roots

Calendar

Music

Press


"Jamie Lynn Vessels, Storm Coming (Independent)"

Among his other talents, Paul Sanchez is quite a talent scout, and when he told me to check out Jamie Lynn Vessels I stuck that info into my “in” file. Not long after I was walking up Esplanade from the river and a block away from Checkpoint Charlie I could hear some hellfire rock bursting out into the night. I poked my head in and there stood Vessels, a statuesque 72 inches tall clad in black leather, belting out the blues in front of a small band and accompanying herself on a crunching Les Paul. I had to sit down and check this out and there was no question she was the real thing and then some.

It’s one thing to sound that good live and quite another to get it all down in the studio. I am happy to report that Vessel’s second album, Storm Coming, is every bit as compelling as she is live. Reviewers are quick to make comparisons and some of those are not very useful but the oft-mentioned resemblance between Vessels and Bonnie Raitt makes sense, at least vocally. Raitt is the more skillful stringbender but Vessels writes big, open chord anthems that match her outstanding voice. Her songwriting is deceptively good—she begins with the massive title track, stacks up a series of really sharp relationship songs, then twists the drama deeper and deeper as the album progresses. Beginning with “The Devil In Your Eyes” and proceeding through the terrific “Witness,” Vessels rewrites some deep blues mythology: “Came to the crossroads/ Said my goodbyes/ I wrote you a letter/ And then I burned it sky high/ Let me be your witness to this story/ Take your money to your grave, I’ll keep my life.” But finishing the narrative isn’t easy, as “Done Me Wrong” and “Fool Me Twice” confirm before Vessels blasts one over the fence again with “Whiskey Blues,” a dramatic account of a 30-day bender that scans like The Lost Weekend: “Thirty days in the wind/ Someone told me, start again/ Whiskey filling up my glass/ Whiskey had me repeating the past.” “I got trouble,” Vessels confesses, but not as much as the subject of the album’s most beautiful and disturbing song, “Burn,” which could be a suicide or murder ballad with a dramatic string arrangement, but always seems like something a little bit more: “It might take me time/ Till I can draw the line/ Between sorrow and life/ Till I can be fine… but I’ll never be fine.”

At this point it’s clear that Vessels is far more than just another blues rocker. She closes the album with a heartbreaking tribute to a beleaguered friend, “For Kim,” and I’m guessing I know who she’s referring to but I’m not going to say it here. Why?

“Because no one knows, no one could know /The pain and the fear and the loss” But I’m heartened, as much as I’m sure Kim is, by the last line of the song, and the album: “Baby, this too, shall pass/ And all is not lost.” - OffBeat Magazine (New Orleans), John Swenson


"Jamie Lynn Vessels - Storm Coming"

Je bent een onafhankelijke vrouw, je hebt een gedegen studie genoten in criminology en je denkt je weg in de maatschappij gevonden te hebben. Maar je voelt je toch niet gelukkig. Zo moet Jamie Lynn Vessels zich gevoeld hebben. Om die gevoelens een plek te geven schreef ze in 2013 een aantal nummers die zij als singer-songwriter op een in eigen beheer gemaakte EP uitbracht. Nu volgt haar tweede werkstuk ‘Storm Coming’.
Puttend uit de alledaagse dingen en de opgedane levenservaring heeft ze veertien nummers aan haar nieuwe cd toevertrouwd. Een respectabel aantal waar veel artiesten het houden bij een nummer of tien krijg je hier waar voor je geld, wat dat betreft. Over Jame Lynn Vessels zelf, ze is een singer-songwriter die dat goed onder de knie heeft. Haar stijl houdt het midden tussen Joan Osborne, Sheryll Crow en Bonnie Rait.
De cd is opgenomen in New Orleans, met een aantal lokale muzikanten; Cranston Clements: gitaar, David Brouillette: bas, Sam Shahin: drums en als special guests Dana Abbott op cello en Tristan Harrell viool.
Op de foto van de cd hoes laat Jamie Lyn Vessels zich afbeelden als een rockbitch, maar een echte rock cd is dit niet. Het is wel een cd vol lekker in het gehoor liggende mid-tempo nummers die door de veertien nummers genoeg variatie biedt. Van bluesrock, wat slowblues en een vleugje country rock of zichzelf akoestisch begeleidend, met ondersteuning van de cello en viool.

De cd opent met de pakkende mid-tempo rocker Storm Coming, de titel track van deze cd. De laatste twee nummers, Burn en For Kim, waar ze met haar donkere wat lage stem gecombineerd met de cello een kwetsbare sfeer creëert. Die nummers behoren tot de betere van deze cd. Een song doorspekt vet fijn gitaarspel van Jamie Lynn en Cranston Clemens.
Wat je van Is That You bij blijft is het a-ritmisch drumwerk, al lucht drummend probeer je het te vatten en dat valt niet mee, een fraai staaltje instrument beheersing van Sam Sahin. Wat volgt is een serie meeslepende songs met sterke teksten en dito arrangementen zoals Dear Love, Haunted Soul, Georgia Moon.
Met The Devil In Your Eyes, pakt ze voor het eerst de slide gitaar ter hand, gedreven door een doorstampend bas ritme, tovert ze er weer en juweeltje uit. Voortbordurend op de groove die ze gevonden heeft stuurt ze het met Witness weer over een andere boeg. Dit meer op Amerikaanse stadionrock geënte nummer staat weer vol met lekker gitaarwerk. Met de studio muzikanten treedt ze ook live op en dat kan alleen maar lekker gaan met dit soort nummers.
Dat ze veel stijlen beheerst toont ze met het aan Melissa Etherigde refererende Done Me Wrong, gewoon een tof nummer met een fijne solo. Fool Me Twice is een slow blues vol haat voor een man die haar bedriegt, en waar Cranston Clements gedreven gitaar speelt. Whisky Blues is een blues rocker die aan Gary Eisenbaum doet denken qua stijl. En ik blijf het herhalen, songs kan ze schrijven deze Jamie Lynn Vessels.

Ze mag dan geen wereld zangeres zijn maar bij deze kwaliteit van de nummers zij het haar vergeven. Veertien pakkende songs vol schitterend gitaarwerk ingenieus drum- en baswerk.
Kortom een cd waar ze trots op kan zijn deze Jamie Lynn Vessels. - Blues Magazine (Netherlands), Jos Verhagen


"Jamie Lynn Vessels -- Storm Coming"

Is there any genre better equipped to tackle love gone sour than the blues? Jamie Lynn Vessels' Storm Coming definitely proves that no, there's not, and all of those bent strings and slides demonstrate what she's going to do to you if she sees your cheating ass again. Vessels has made a name for herself in New Orleans' singer-songwriter community as an electrifying guitar player and Storm Coming cements that reputation.

The title track sets the broader tone of the album, conveying the fear and chaos of the city right before Katrina. Maybe it's because I was too young at the time, but I don't think New York musicians have as consistent a body of work about the shared trauma of 9/11 as I've seen in New Orleans' response to Katrina. Perhaps it's because, over ten years later, Katrina's damage is still visible. Perhaps it's because New Orleans musicians are more invested in their community and have simply lived there longer. Suffice to say, Vessels' spirited playing transitions from the broader, social concern of a community in fear to her more personal struggles with betrayal seamlessly throughout the rest of the album.

Storm Coming is a powerful listen, and the electric songs will surely help fuel your cocktail of grief and anger if you're currently going through a similar experience. However, the album also sees Vessels continuing to develop her songwriting voice. The last two songs of the album, "Burn" and "For Kim," are acoustic numbers that showcase Vessels' powerful vocals. Soon enough, Vessels' lyrics will become as much of a force as her shredding.

Jamie Lynn Vessels -- Official, Facebook, Purchase Storm Coming

Thanks for reading! Jamie Lynn Vessels will be featured on tomorrow's episode of Adobe & Teardrops! You can listen to it now by subscribing to our Patreon or finding us on your favorite podcast app! You can also support us by dropping a tip in our Ko-fi cup! - Adobe & Teardrops, Rachel Cholst


"Jamie Lynn Vessels - Storm Coming [8/10]"

Van oorsprong komt Jamie Lynn Vessels uit Raleigh, North Carolina. Ze studeerde af met een Master's degree in Criminal Justice and Criminology met een certificaat Forensic Criminology aan de University of Massachusetts Lowell en een undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice met een concentratie in Forensics aan het Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire. Na haar studies voelde Jamie al vrij snel dat ze iets totaal anders wilde doen met haar leven. Ze reisde vanuit haar geboortestad in North Carolina naar Louisiana en besloot haar levenslange muzikale passie te verkennen. Haar officiële carrière begon in 2013 toen ze in New Orleans de studio indook om vijftien van haar originele liedjes met muzikanten van wereldklasse en een eersteklas productieploeg op te nemen. Jamie's vermogen om prachtige verhalen te weven door haar ingewikkelde teksten en zoete, folkachtige snaren komt voort uit haar eigen levenservaringen en uit de dagelijkse menselijke waarneming. Wij mensen streven in dit leven allemaal naar hetzelfde, namelijk geliefd zijn, gezond zijn en plezier hebben onderweg. Jamie's muziek is een weerspiegeling van de menselijke natuur, zijn veerkracht en zijn vieringen. Jamie heeft van New Orleans haar nieuwe thuis gemaakt en heeft zich keurig in de lokale scene gevestigd met een verfrissende en bedwelmende mix van blues en rock 'n' roll. In 2013 bracht Jamie haar eerste EP en eerste album 'Home' uit. Haar tweede album verscheen in april 2018 en kreeg 'Storm Coming' als titel.

Jamie Lynn Vessels opent haar tweede album met de knappe en stevige titeltrack 'Storm Is Coming'. Drummer Sam Shahin en bassist David Brouillette zorgen voor een uitstekende rock groove. Meteen valt de goede en stevige rockstem van Jamie Lynn op, die het nummer met de nodige dreiging in haar stem weet te brengen. De radiovriendelijke rocker 'Is That You' heeft een erg aantrekkelijke melodie en een catchy refrein dat zich vlug in je hoofd nestelt en er lang blijft hangen. De stem van Jamie Lynn klinkt heel emotioneel en breekbaar in de knappe ballade 'Dear Love', een verhaal waarin de zangeres haar hart open legt en zich erg kwetsbaar opstelt ten opzichte van haar geliefde. Gitarist Cranston Clements weet met gevoelvolle en intense korte gitaar riffjes nog meer emotie in het nummer te leggen. In 'Haunted Soul' is Cranson nog uitdrukkelijker aanwezig met fantastisch vlijmscherp snarenwerk. De stem van Jamie Lynn klinkt verward en hulpeloos wanneer ze over de spookachtige en grillige ziel van haar ex geliefde zingt. Even later horen we dan weer een verliefde Jamie Lynn Vessels in de uitstekende rocker 'Georgia Moon', dat zowel vocaal als instrumentaal weer erg kan bekoren. Vooral Cranston Clements bewijst met zinderend en verschroeiend snarenwerk nogmaals dat hij een klasse gitarist is. De liefde en zijn onvoorspelbaarheid blijven voor Jamie Lynn het dankbaarste onderwerp in haar teksten. Ook het pop getinte 'Speechless' gaat over de liefde en deze keer over de pijn die liefde veroorzaakt. In de uitstekende rocker 'The Devil In Your Eyes' toont Cranston nogmaals dat hij over goede vingers beschikt, maar ook dat hij erg goed met de bottleneck overweg kan. Niet alleen Robert Johnson sloot een deal aan the crossroads, ook Jaimie Lynn Vessels maakte op deze plaats een deal en daar zingt ze over in de stevige rocker 'Witness'.

'Done Me Wrong' is een poppy rocksong met een erg aantrekkelijke melodie. Veel geluk in de liefde heeft deze more than six foot grote schoonheid precies niet, want ook in de midtempo rocker 'Fool Me Twice' wordt ze bedrogen. Ze zingt het nummer met heel wat boosheid in haar stem en de vlijmscherpe gitaar riffs van Cranston Clements leggen de vinger nog dieper in de wonde. Dat als je bedrogen en verlaten wordt de oplossing niet moet gaan zoeken in de drank weten we al langer en ook de Amerikaanse zangeres weet dat, want ze zingt er over in het rauwe en ranzige 'Whiskey Blues'. Drummer Sam Shahin en bassist David Brouillette zorgen voor een stevige en strakke groove, waarop gitarist Cranston Clements met scheurend en verschroeiend snarenwerk nogmaals zijn klasse etaleert. Prachtig nummer. Jamie Lynn Vessels zorgt voor de akoestische gitaar intro van het aanstekelige 'I Got Trouble', waarvan de sound nogmaals gekleurd wordt door de prachtige gitaargeluiden van Cranston Clements. Het kippenvelmoment van het album is zonder twijfel het beklijvende 'Burn', een nummer dat over zelfdoding gaat en waarin Dana Abbott met haar cello voor de prachtige intro zorgt. De zangeres zingt deze song, met een erg zwaar en gevoelig onderwerp, met erg veel emotie en kwetsbaarheid in haar stem. De combinatie van de breekbare en kwetsbare stem van Jamie Lynn met de diepe donkere klankkleur van Dana Abbott haar cello zorgt voor een sobere en ingetogen sfeer die uitmuntend bij dit nummer past. Het afsluitende 'For Kim' is qua sfeer en onderwerp verbonden met het vorige 'Burn'. Instrumentaal is ook deze song erg sober, met alleen de akoestische gitaar van Jamie Lynn, de viool van Tristan Harrell en de cello van Marc Paradis. Alle teksten en muziek op dit album komen van Jamie Lynn Vessels, waarmee de Amerikaanse bewijst dat ze niet alleen een goede zangeres en gitariste is, maar ook een erg goede songschrijfster. 'Storm Coming' is een heel aangenaam en gevarieerd album, waarin Jamie Lynn Vessels heel open haar gevoelens weet weer te geven. (8/10)



Walter Vanheuckelom



Storm Coming (4:00)
Is That You (3:33)
Dear Love, (4:26)
Haunted Soul (4:23)
Georgia Moon (3:18)
Speechless (4:10)
The Devil in Your Eyes (3:27)
Witness (3:56)
Done Me Wrong (4:15)
Fool Me Twice (4:33)
Whiskey Blues (3:07)
I Got Trouble (2:59)
Burn (3:55)
For Kim (4:33)

Jamie Lynn Vessels - Zang, elektrische en akoestische ritme gitaar
David Brouillette - Bas
Sam Shahin - Drums
Cranston Clements - Gitaar
Dana Abott - Cello op 13
Marc Paradis - Cello op 14
Tristan Harrell - Eerste en tweede viool op 14 - Concert Monkey (Belgium), Walter Vanheuckelom


"Jamie Lynn Vessels: Storm Coming (2018) [10/10]"

Well this latest release by Jamie Lynn Vessels is now six months old so there’s definitely nothing original I can add, too this review. However, it still holds out as a brilliant piece of work and deserves one more review, so here are my thoughts.
From the first to last note, this album oozes a huge amount of style and confidence. All the songs are very easy to listen to, it’s definitely an album, you could put on then just sit back and chill. The guitar playing throughout this album is very catchy, with some superb and highly infectious solos, proving outright that Jamie has studied the blues deeply and blended it in a brilliant way into her songwriting. Throughout each song the playing perfectly matches the mood of each song, going from raunchy to mellow, whenever the songs need it. The band that Jamie has backing her, also do an immense job, with some brilliant playing.

This is definitely one, that will be added to my driving list and my steering wheel is going to take a bit of a bashing when this it’s playing. It will also be put on my goto list and I can see it staying, there for a long, long time.

When I first saw the cover of this album, Jamie’s picture, reminded me of Suzi Quatro (probably showing my age, with that but never mind) with the leather and low hung guitar.
Lyrically all the songs are well written and in places pretty thought provoking, which being a lyricist myself gets my mind working overtime to figure out what the thinking and stories that inspired them.

That’s all I can say really, so to finalize things this album was released on the 19th April, so if you haven’t bought it yet, do yourself and Jamie a favour and buy it asap. Finally, I wait eagerly to hear what comes next from this hugely talented lady.

Rating: 10/10 - FRaME Music, Roger Penkethmen


"Jamie Lynn Vessels: Storm Coming Review [7/10]"

When you’re young, the whole world is new. You don’t have opinions on many things because you haven’t experienced them. But as you age, one of many side effects is opinions. Opinions on everything. They start large and important but gradually get smaller and more petty. It begins with something as big as the meaning of life but gradually comes to encompass minutiae, like the legitimacy of the NBA’s three-point shot, appropriate hot dog condiments, and the best way to fold towels. The process ultimately ends with what makes for a proper death rattle. But before one gets to that final opinion, there’s lots of ground to cover. For me, a commonly (over)expressed opinion is the importance of rhythm guitar, and why it’s often erroneously less respected than soloing. Which is why Jamie Lynn Vessels’ Storm Coming made me so happy. It’s a veritable clinic on rhythm guitar.

Vessels is a singer/songwriter/guitarist, with a deep, powerful voice in the vein of Janis Joplin. The cover of Storm Coming features her holding a Les Paul and wearing a leather vest. That image usually makes me nervous, as it tends to correlate with almost incessant guitar playing (except when it doesn’t), but the strength of her second album is the rhythm work, which drives the album, providing robust support for a very nice voice, but also almost obviating the need for bass and drums. Her rhythms are just that good, keeping songs moving forward without overpowering them, and, of course, maintaining a perfect tempo that lets the songs breathe but also gives it an urgency.

In addition to blues rock tracks, Vessels explores quite a lot of pop and pop ballads. They range from jazzy, like “Dear Love,” which features a theatrical melody over a gentle riff, to full-on power ballads, like the surprisingly enjoyable “Haunted Soul,” which is reminiscent of “All Along the Watchtower,” if Hendrix had covered it in the 1980s. “Burn” and “For Him,” the album’s final two songs, are both acoustic and both feature strings. They’re similarly poppy, sounding not unlike Pink tracks. Both songs work, but they feel a bit disjointed from the rest of the album, especially since they’re the concluding tracks.

Vessels is also a more-than-capable lead guitarist. The guitar playing across the album is strong, but it’s the rhythm guitar that catches your ear. As good as it is, it would be even better hearing Vessels with a dirtier tone that cuts through the mix a bit more and maybe even mirrors the richness and depth of her voice. She’s an incredibly nuanced guitarist who will no doubt find herself in future lectures in defense of the lost art of rhythm guitar. And now onto the importance of mustard…

The Review: 7/10

Can’t Miss Tracks

– Haunted Soul
– Speechless
– I Got Trouble
– Storm Coming

The Big Hit

– Storm Coming - Blues Rock Review, Steven Ovadia


"Jamie Lynn Vessels, Home (Independent)"

Jamie Lynn is the latest in a long line of girls-with-guitars who picked up where Sheryl Crow left off, at least from a personality standpoint; she seems like the one your mother warned you about, but at heart she’s just unencumbered, not wayward, the kind of distaff roots-rock troubadour whose restlessness doesn’t cancel out her maternal instincts.

The tell here lies in Jamie Lynn’s voice, which aims in part for that patented Crowvian “alone in the bar in the middle of the afternoon” rasp but keeps opening up to reveal deep, rich, rounded tones that have the carnal oomph of Joan Osborne and the warmth and power of late-period Bonnie Raitt. She’s not looking to be completed, in other words, but she’s not just a good time, either. She did name the album Home, after all.

These 11 songs (along with a reprise, all produced by scenester and excellent judge of talent Louie Ludwig) are all deceptively simple, more like incantations than songs proper, a series of mantras that, despite the plain-as-hamburger titles—“Don’t Look Back,” “God Only Knows,” and even “Dirty Water,” have less lyrical weight than their more famous forebears, and her big story song, “John Brown,” is pretty generic bad-boy stuff at heart—serve perfectly well as vehicles for her obsessive need to heal and be healed.

Which may be why the sexiest moment on Home comes in its brief reprise of the self-explanatory “So Good to Me”: the original sounds like her pledge of devotion to whoever it was that finally deserved her nurturing, but when she sings it again, it sounds like there are … hidden rewards. Wonder what kind of indie R&B diva she’d make. - OffBeat Magazine (New Orleans), Robert Fontenot


"Jamie Lynn Vessels Self-titled EP"

After a short detour north, let's continue our trip to New Orleans. A few days into Jazz Fest, my sister and I rolled into a bar on Frenchman Street to check out Jamie Lynn Vessels, whom a number of people I'd spoken to heartily recommended. As we made our way into the bar, I thought, "Hm -- that bass guitar sure sounds like a Sonia Tetlow riff." My eyes adjusted to the dark and lo, it was she.

What I'm saying is, musicianship aside, Vessels is a great judge of character.

But let's talk about the important stuff. Vessels is a powerhouse guitarist, and her live performance is 500% rock'n'roll. Jamie Lynn Vessels, her second recording, shows Vessles equally at ease with straightforward rock'n'roll ("Casanova No More") and country swing ("I'm Holding Up"). Vessels has a voice that would sound perfect while singing the dictionary. This is an unfortunately short review for an unfortunately short EP, but it's worth your dimes and nickels. - No Depression / Adobe & Teardrops, Rachel Cholst


"Walking Tall with Jamie Lynn"

Check out what I just found in my mailbox here at WWOZ. The new album by Jamie Lynn Vessels.

I had a backlog of CDs in my "listen to" box. These are the ever growing collection of music that we show hosts are delivered, many, directly from the artists.

I liked what I heard right away... Long story, short version: Jamie Lynn is coming in today. We will hear some tunes from her brand new disc: Home.

If we are lucky, she will play and sing a few of her original tunes, live, on the air.

That's today, on the Blues Breakdown. She will roll in about 3 PM. Stay tuned! - WWOZ.org, Valerie "The Problem Child" Kacprzak


"Jamie Lynn Vessels"

This born-and-bred North Carolinian has had her roots in music and songwriting all her life; from starting a band with the neighborhood kids in elementary school to working with and learning from professional songwriters and musicians in the past year, Jamie has always lived and breathed music. Jamie graduated with a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice, and soon after decided to explore her passion for all things music. Her ability to weave story and music stems from her own experiences as well as incisive observations of the everyday human experience.
Bay Pacific Mortgage and Finance Services
Bay Pacific Mortgage and Finance Services

Jamie has always expressed a desire for love and healing of the whole person, no matter their background or circumstance. She truly believes that music can transcend and accomplish this, and her music is a reflection of her nature. Though she may be rockin’ cowboy boots, her music is far from country -- her style starts off in folk and meanders to full-blown bluesrock. This newcomer to the music scene started out at open mics and acoustic shows, getting rave reviews from day one. She wrapped recording of her first full-length album and EP at the start of 2013. The EP is available since March 8, 2013, and the album will be available May 24, 2013. - Charlotte Talent Magazine


Photos

Bio

“...a voice that’s as sweet as it is raw.... seeing her live is mesmerizing.”

— WWOZ Louisiana Artists Spotlight

“Vessels is a powerhouse guitarist, and her live performance is 500% rock'n'roll.”

— Rachel Cholst, No Depression

“Vessels' second album... is every bit as compelling as she is live.”

— John Swenson, OffBeat Magazine

MUSIC FOR THE HOPEFUL-HEARTED

Jamie Lynn Vessels is a six-foot guitarist and lyricist who strives to give her listeners the same kind of support and feeling of community that she got from the music of her favorite artists, namely Sheryl Crow, Beth Hart, and Brandi Carlile. She has opened for the likes of Kingfish, Dilana, shared stages with Samantha Fish and Twelve Stones, nominated for Best Emerging Artist, Best Roots-Rock Artist and Best Roots-Rock Album by New Orleans' premier music magazine, OffBeat.

At the age of 26, Jamie decided to make a dynamic change in her life by moving to New Orleans to become a professional musician, in an effort to make and spread music that is both life-affirming and meaningful. In early 2013, Jamie released her first self titled EP and album called "Home". 

NEW ORLEANS' LOUDEST SINGER-SONGWRITER! 

Jamie has been likened to Lzzy Hale (Halestorm), Melissa Etheridge, and Bonnie Raitt in her live performances. After putting in the work and becoming a regular in bars and venues throughout New Orleans and touring around some southern states, she has developed a sound all her own.

Jamie’s style has transformed into emotional, mesmerizing vocals over guitar riffs that catch the ear and draw the listener into her lyrics. Her ability to make fun, catchy music and create stories that draw the listener in has allowed Jamie to only get better with time. 

After releasing her second full length album, "Storm Coming," in 2018, Jamie has continued releasing singles throughout 2019. Jamie plays live in New Orleans every week, and continues to work to bring more music to her fans, with a new studio album release slated for 2020. 

Band Members