Jesse Hanson falls somewhere between indie-pop and R&B soul. The musicianship in her music is geared towards a much poppier rock sound, but damn the girl’s voice is insane. At points hitting smokey barroom jazz and others sultry soul singer.  She plays a multitude of instruments…often times in unconventional manners (electric violin, loop pedals and effects chains anyone?). One thing is for certain, she is going to the beat of her own drum and making no apologies for that.

There is no denying that her new record “Foundations” is very heavily produced. One who keeps up with this blog and knows my usual taste for stripped down folk-roots might cringe about what they think is going to be coming next…but don’t be. The choices in production here work wonderfully for the songs. The arrangements are HUGE. It feels very heavy, but in a good way. When the track breaks (as in the opening track “Got Me Lyin’”) for a brief moment, it really creates a fantastic dynamic that is undeniable. Light and airy in the breaks, and robust, warm and bassy good in the rest of the tracks. Strong playing and arrangements across the board and her voice, while seemingly slightly layered/effected on some tracks, shines through wonderfully and everything just works. Yes folks, I am expanding my audible horizons. Not everything needs an acoustic guitar or a mandolin if its got heart in it.

‘A Sign’ kicks in with a two stepping, country beat courtesy of a driving bass line and kick drum. The guitar line is reminiscent of a honky tonk, but this is not country music by any stretch. I think a great strength of the songwriter is to pick and choose, mix and match. She blends styles and genres in way that be suits her own sound. You can unquestionably hear the origins of those certain sounds, but they are layered with something further that creates a unique sound that caters best to what she is going for. That is something very distinctive and rare. An ability to mold one, cohesive idea from many different sources without one overpowering the other.

In watching Hanson’s progress as she has been making this record, the audience has been waiting a while for this album to drop…well, it is worth the wait. She brings an energy that is fresh and youthful, but still maintains a sense of owning what she has to say and present as an artist. Paying homage to her roots as a classical violinist with orchestral epic arranging

“Foundations” from Jesse Hanson is officially out on August 18th with shows built around that date that you can check out here. But for now, get a sneak peak right here of “Got Me Lyin'”

http://www.jessehanson.me/

(photo by Mel Taing)