Alyssa Jacey LIVE!
Self-Released, 2021
8/10
A California native who now calls Nashville home, though Alyssa Jacey may have gotten a late start in music compared to her peers, she’s made up for it with several albums to her credit and an amazing 3,500 shows. Once Covid hit and her live shows stopped, she took a chance on a socially distanced performance at the new Argyros Performing Arts Center on September 16, 2020, where 80 people were able to absorb her immense talent live that we all get to enjoy the recording of.
Jacey leads with the intimate and warm “Heart Breathe”, where her smooth vocals guide the poetic wordplay as she hits some pretty high notes, and “You Think You Know Somebody” follows with a firm strummer where a timeless folk climate enters the expressive delivery.
Deeper into the set, “Drowning Me” finds itself in emotive territory where the breadth of Jacey’s vocal prowess is on full display, while “I Want It To Rain” is a pretty, eloquent song that illustrates her intricate guitar playing. “Our Love”, another playful, romantic tune, then actually places some rapping into the frisky atmosphere.
Near the end, “Love Is All You Need” is an ultra positive, glorious song that even uses drumming to create the mood, and “Stand By Me” exits the listen with a soulful cover of the Ben E. King classic, where Jacey’s interpretation allows the crowd to do some of the singing, too.
Though I generally don’t feel that live albums are a great first introduction to an artist, this one is so well done, I’ll certainly be exploring more of Jacey’s catalog. For the longtime fans, well, your mind is probably already made up, and you’ll absolutely enjoy the singing, guitar playing, stomp box and tambourine from the renaissance woman on this 32 track set (11 originals, 3 covers, and plenty of in between song commentary).
Travels well with: Zoe Fitzgerald Carter- Waterlines; Claire Kelly- The Scenic Route