Mesa Jane

This CD “Level” by Mesa Jane is sure to be remembered as one of the classic female pop CD’s in recent memory. Its pure femme fatale magic the way it used to be, full of cautionary tales, passion and of course love’s mystery. So who is Jane anyway? Her music is hard to put in a generalized genre, but she incorporates elements of indie, rock, jazz, folk, and pop. In my own words she’s a singer/songwriter who draws on life’s experiences from both the interior and exterior vantage point. Her musical narrative and striking lyrics deliver sincere and genuine vocal performances.

From the first seconds of Track 1””Haunt You” to the final moments of “I Can’t Feel’ this CD hits on all cylinders with a powerful musical landscape full of power and intrigue. One thing that impressed me the most about this album/band is the sheer impassioned pop vibe one gets. There’s also a New Age, Modern Electro-Pop ambience that really sucks in the listener reminiscent of classic Heart, Martika and Celine Dion. On the other side of the sonic spectrum I can hear the likes of: Regina Spektor, Tori Amos, Sara Bareilles, maybe Paula Cole. Jane is also backed up by some solid players and co-writers, producers a solid production instinct via her brilliant musical mastermind. Need I say more? The CD is professional grade any way you look at it. The instrumentation and tones give you that genuine feel of good music and writing from a generation ago is still alive. Jane has a strong visual and her voice sounds as if she is classically trained. She also plays Electric Piano. All members in her band are solid musically. Kudos goes out to the amazing songwriting. I always said you can sell what you don’t truly believe, Here Jane captures lighting in a bottle that will ring true not only for older more experienced listeners but new ones as well.

My favorite track: “I Won’t Take It Anymore.”

“Level” wraps up a well-rounded 10 track set that delivers an intoxicating cross section of classic pop and female singer/songwriter. Despite this it is accessible to modern day listeners as well. How is this possible? Only an experienced artist armed with an honest, genuine, sincere approach can pull it off.

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/mesajanemusic

Score – 9/10 Stars

By: Eric Carr - Indie Artists Alliance

By: RJ Frometa
August 12th, 2014

9 out of 10
Pennsylvania based singer/songwriter/musician Mesa Jane released her new CD entitled appropriately enough “Level” in 2014.

This music captures the essence of boldly honest passion of gripping pop perfectly or in the case of Jane quite effortlessly. I say gripping because she kind of reminds me of Florence and the Machine, Mirina and the Diamonds, Ellie Goulding, MS MR and The XX. The rhythms and slow burning vocals coupled with the mind blowing lyrics will cause you to think and comprehend life itself from a stark yet rainy perspective shall we say. With a list of artistic and professional achievements as long as my arm I suspect Jane is not new to this. In fact it’s quite clear to me that this Pennsylvania based vocalist is not only experienced, she could probably be heralded as someone to keep a watchful eye on.

In music, delivering breathless performances and challenging conventional wisdom are often deliberate efforts to establish a marketing niche, but for Jane it’s feels like a natural state of mind and being. Many of her past releases garnered rave reviews from music critics. I am going to one of them however these new songs violate the modern requirement that pop and rock music provide instant gratification. Whatever the case this 10 track collection is a finely tuned balancing act that speaks volumes about Jane. Along the path one will find vivid songwriting and evocative emotions. “Haunt You” is also swimming in the deep end of the pool with acts such as Tori Amos, Sara Bareilles, Christina Perri and even Lorde. The Single offering “Haunt You” more closely resembles pop songs in terms of length and musical form, but this is not to say it’s only element.

“”Why Don’t We” gently rolls out through a music ranging from alt rock, progressive rock, sonic chill and even course classic pop styles. Others like “I Can’t Feel” and “Lay Your Arms Down” more elusive. “Love You Endlessly” are more memorable ones foe me. Getting back to the shift in direction from their previous effort I’d say it was a good move for sure. In the pleasant malaise of sound and songs-manship this CD, be prepared to be set adrift on a peaceful sea of emotions. Other times awry in happy thoughts, sometimes displaying a dry “been there done that” sense of humor. Finally her voice really seals the deal for me in the end, especially how high and low along the emotional spectrum she travels. - VENTS Magazine

Although electronic music is the primary focus, there is a pretty wide range on this album. The range of quality isn't as wide, though. Most o this stuff is pretty damn good.

Electronic dance music is the order of business on Haunt You. The vocals manage to avoid the auto tune fever that seems to be sweeping that type of music these days, though. Thats a good thing. There is some of that autotune thing on Lay Your Arms Down, but its not enough to be really annoying. This is mellower. Its not as strong as the first one, but its good. Part of Love You Endlessly are weird. Other parts are very catchy. The combination is unusual. Dont Stop is too mainstream and generic for me. Sure, the chorus is catchy, but it sounds like a million other dance music songs. There are almost some hints of psychedelia on I Wont Take It Anymore. Overall, though, this is a slow moving piece that feels a lot like just about everything else here. Well, were out of the dance music on Happen Again. This is mellow electronic music, but I wouldnt call it dance at all. Im not sure Id call it great, either. Next is Coming Through, and now were talking. This thing rocks. Its not a seriously hard edged thing, but some guitar adds a lot. It really pulls it out of the electronic music realm. While Why Dont We  has some great melodic rock, it also has a couple blatantly over the top electronic dance bits. That said, those are short enough to not really bring the piece down. I like this one a lot. The vocals are the best part of Meet You There. It is such a powerful song because of the singing. There is almost a modern progressive rock sound to some of I Cant Feel. Its quite different from the rest of the music and pretty effective.

The closing piece is a remix of I Wont Take It Anymore. Its kind of forgettable.

Review by Steve Rafferty. Approved by Michael Morrison (UK)
Rating: 8/10 - Music Emissions

With an ethereal sound that is dark around the edges, Mesa Jane's Level is a superb album that hopefully doesn't get overlooked.

It opens with "Haunt You", that you can listen to here. The rest of the album follows similarly but each song having a character of it's own. There is definitely an 80s feel here with the synth. These songs would fit right in on the radio of that era, and could appear on the soundtracks of dozens of movies. Repeatedly throughout the album I thought of The Neverending Story. "Don't Stop" has a jaunty pop sound to it that led me to tapping my feet and dancing in my chair whenever it came up in the rotation on my playlist. So many of the songs are good and evoke images of my youth, which obviously won't happen for everyone.

But for me the real shining moment of the album is when we take a break from the synth and Melissa Olivieri (a.k.a. Mesa Jane) sits down at a piano and takes us through "Meet You There". The emotion and power, and restraint, in the song makes it a stand out.

Level doesn't sound exactly like Mesa Jane's previous effort, Spandex Heart, but that's a good thing. We already have Spandex Heart. With Level we get a new vision, and it's a good one.

Review by Jason Pace
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iiiiiiiiiin West Philadelphia, born and raised, on the playground was where I spent.....what? Oh, sorry. So you're saying Mesa Jane (aka Melissa Olivieri) is from Philadelphia but she isn't the Fresh Princess? Well, you learn something new every day. This new album from the Philly chanteuse starts with 'Haunt You' and immediately it's obvious that Mesa Jane makes polished but darkly seductive electro pop with a sophisticated edge. 'Lay Your Arms Down' does nothing to dispel this theory as I am reminded of the likes of Dubstar, the Sneaker Pimps, Everything But The Girl and Ellie Goulding before she started hanging around in her bra. On 'Love You Endlessly' there's a breathy, sexual feel that the likes of Britney or Miley would kill for right now while 'Don't Stop' is a straight up, bouncing pop romp with some gorgeous synth sounds thrown in for good measure.

Things take a turn for the melancholy on the gently defiant 'I Won't Take It Anymore' as Mesa Jane goes for a sound between Portishead and Air which is a pretty beautiful sound. 'Happen Again' is another downbeat tune full of tenderness before 'Coming Through' emerges from the shadows with a sense of defiance and layered up melodies that sweep in and out of view. Mesa Jane has a subdued sensuality and seductiveness to her voice that so many of the great electro singers have and the richness of her tones makes up for the often sparse instrumentation as on the gently industrial 'Why Don't We'. And then, just to provide a moment of clarity, Melissa sits down at a grand piano and gentle squeezes some notes out to form the beginning of 'Meet You There' - a song that, in the wrong hands, would have been an emo power ballad but not here. Oh no. The simple but sumptuous piano merges with our heroines voice and only a few extra ripples of cymbal are needed to eek every drop of emotion out of this song. The album closes with the St Etienne-esque 'I Can't Feel' and a remix of 'I Won't Take It Anymore' by CJ which adds a new perspective on the original but doesn't improve it. Mesa Jane is an understated talent and, as such, I fear that she will get overlooked but I hope she can get her music heard more outside of the US as I have a feeling the British, German and Scandinavian markets would lap this up. Just a hunch. Oh, and she makes chunky knit wear look pretty sexy too so that's always a fall back career.

More information: https://www.facebook.com/mesajanemusic - Listen With Monger