Jessica Lea Mayfield – Tell Me
Nonesuch: 2011
It’s an impressive feat that Jessica Lea Mayfield, just a touch over the legal drinking age, has crafted such a potent sophomore album – a well balanced cocktail of sincere folksy spirit, served coolly with a heaping dash of bitters.
Much like her cunning debut effort With Blasphemy So Heartfelt, Mayfield’s sophomore effort Tell Me talks on love, relationships, heartache, loneliness and lament. But it’s not necessarily the subject matter that’s noteworthy for a 21-year-old, rather it’s the precocious depth and complexity of her lyrics.
Tell Me (released Feb. 8 on Nonesuch Records) begins with a soul-crushing, Southern-fried twang and Mayfield’s plaintive, Rust Belt-tinged vocals. “All I can think ‘bout is things I should not do,” she sings before a blues-drenched guitar on “I’ll Be The One You Want Someday”. It sounds like the soundtrack of a car ride home after a breakup and about half a bottle of whiskey. It’s the sound of someone who is not to be trusted, a theme repeated on the brutally honest “Trouble”.
On the standout second track, “Our Hearts Are Wrong”, Mayfield dispels a relationship with an icy distance and a never-looking-back scorn. “Hate has brought me up the stairs into your house. I will not let hate be the one to make me naked for you,” she sings.
The ability of a country singer-songwriter to tread this well-worn turf with a fresh flavor is both refreshing and impressive. This is an album that invites multiple listens, revealing unexpected flavors and making a fine second serving from a dangerously talented songwriter.
For your own sake, keep an eye on her.
[audio:http://potholesinmyblog.flywheelsites.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/04-Somewhere-In-Your-Heart-.mp3|titles=Somewhere In Your Heart]
3.5 out of 5