Jessie Baylin
Firesight
(Verve Forecast)
First Appeared in The Music Box, August 2008, Volume 15, #8
Written by David Gregory Schlegel
Tue August 19, 2008, 06:30 AM CDT
Being swept up in a dream world is the feeling that one gets from listening to Firesight, Jessie Baylin’s debut for Verve Forecast. Acting as a confessional about her struggles and heartbreak, the album tells a story that unfolds to provide listeners a glimpse at Baylin’s life.
Upon graduating from high school, Baylin packed her belongings and moved to Los Angeles, taking a huge gamble in the hope of finding her calling. After a friend from New York paid her a visit, she realized that her purpose was to be a songwriter. Roughly six years later, she finally has reached her dream by bringing her vision to fruition.
Absorbing Firesight is almost like reading through someone’s diary. It seems to hold all of Baylin’s emotional scars and secrets. Songs such as Leave Your Mark on Me and Lonely Heaven are beautiful but somber. At times, it is easy to feel sorry for Baylin since she makes it easy to relate to many of her experiences.
Not all of Baylin’s songs are depressing. Tennessee Gem and The Glitter show her brighter, more sensible side. On the latter track, in particular, she demonstrates her maturity by outlining how she came to the realization that she needed to stop moping about insignificant things and move on with her life.
The one song that seems out of place on Firesight is Not a Day More. While most of the tunes seem to fit withing the framework of Baylin’s pop, jazz, country, and folk influences, Not a Day More is decidedly rock-oriented. The style, which sounds like a cross between Smashing Pumpkins and Alanis Morissette, contrasts heavily with the rest of the material, and it subsequently disrupts Firesight’s overall mood. Luckily, it is at least a good tune, and it doesn’t diminish the overall quality of the effort.
Firesight proves to be a solid album, and it should be enjoyable for
anyone who is a fan of Norah Jones. It also lays such a solid foundation for
Baylin’s future that it will be exciting to see what happens with her next
endeavor. 
½
Of Further Interest...
Firesight is available from
Barnes & Noble. To order, Click Here!
Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2008 The Music Box