Now - Jessica Andrews
A mere lass of 19, Jessica Andrews projects wisdom beyond her years on her third album -- and a natural-gal sultriness to boot. Bursting with joy and energy, Andrews turns in a set of quality material: She co-wrote a few of the songs, picked some others from top-flight Nashville writers, and enlisted Byron Gallimore (Tim McGraw's co-producer) to dress them up with a punchy country-pop sound and soaring orchestral backdrops. Even so, Andrews's calling card remains her singing, as she demonstrates a better feel for subtler shades of emotion than she did on her first two albums. The restraint she brings to "They Are the Roses," a reminder that children are the future and should be treasured as such, is an impressive and ideal counterpoint to music that booms and subsides as the story unfolds. Equally eye- and ear-opening is the roiling, self-affirming "There's More to Me Than You," on which she belts, coos, and flat-out rocks, complemented by a stinging electric guitar and hammering, relentless percussion. There's a hint of hip-hop and overt western swing references -- via fiddle and pedal steel -- to the lusty "Second Sunday," wherein Andrews delivers a carefree, breathy vocal that articulates the overflowing passion of which she sings. Piano and synths define a grand and moving musical backdrop that sets up a tenderly rendered plea for peace and salvation in the socially conscious "God Don't Give Up on Us." No mere eye candy, Andrews shows a lot of growth on Now, and it's in the service of songs with depth and heart.
DREAMWORKS NASHVILLE
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