It has been a long and challenging road for Lynne Jackaman, but she is pleased to announce the release of her debut album One Shot. These collections of songs came together during the end of a broken relationship, which some tracks reflect. She says “I wanted to write in a way that still hits hard emotionally, but with an upside too. I didn’t want to just moan, to say instead ‘Yeah, that’s shit’, but you can still get out of it”.
As One Shot was going to become her debut album, she wanted to do something with more of a soulful feel. It was to be something a little different than her previous projects. With the help of producer Jamie Evans, they began cooking up new music at the infamous FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals. Jackaman says “we wanted the album to have a nice balance between the contemporary and the classic”. To help give it a classic feel, they enlisted the support of talented musicians such as Spooner Oldham, Clayton Ivey, Bob Wray, Will McFarlane and backing vocals by The Shoals Sisters.
When talking about any music by Lynne Jackaman, it is impossible to not talk about her vocal talents. One Shot is no exception. She has never sounded as good as she does throughout this album. She says “My vocals were properly produced for the first time. Jamie’s attitude was very much ‘We know you can sing the phone book, but do you need to do that on this song?’ He was challenging, and there were times I didn’t know whether to hug him or punch him, but it really focussed me on what was best for the song”.
The listener is instantly introduced to her impressive vocal presence with the opening track “Supernasty”. She lets her voice fly with the opening lines “Tell me why do we hide and pretend we don’t notice / I can’t surrender to this”. From then on, she continues to impress offering a range between power and a soft emotive tone. All have a captivating soulful feel which you can hear is influenced by her musical heroes. Each song offers something a little different proving that she is no one-trick pony.
The spotlight throughout One Shot is firmly on Jackaman’s vocal talents, but there is a lot more on offer. In support, the various soundtracks to accompany each song have a purpose. Not just to enhance her voice but to help set the scene for the stories. The likes of “Copycat” offers a playful moment with an outstanding guitar solo. This work with the six-string also shines during the slow and gorgeous soulful mood during “On Your Own Now”. But, then you have tracks such as “Nothing But My Records On”, which has a whole lot of attitude which you can see Jackaman showing off her sassy side when on stage.
With the stage set with the music and a voice ready to share the story, we need the right lyrics. Luckily, Jackaman has a great way with words, which this album perfectly showcases. She moulds them to say so much and in a way that the listener feels the emotions within them. One of the best examples of this is the final track “On My Own Stage”. It opens with the beautiful use of the keys before Jackaman shows off a delicate and emotive side to her vocals. She shares a simple message that is perfectly summed up with the lines “On my own stage I sing to no one else cause / It takes me back to when I had you to myself / Yes I hear I’m better off I guess I’m better off / But I can’t take off without you”.
Throughout the album, the stories on offer do not disappoint. However, there is one that stands head and shoulders above the rest, which is “Beautiful Loss”. As soon as it begins, you can feel that this is something special. The reason for this is the raw emotion that it projects is impactful and captivating. It is a song inspired by her friend Adam Green who sadly passed away in 2012. He used to be the rock to her soul during their days in the band Saint Jude.
“Beautiful Loss” shows what happens when you write with your heart on your sleeve. The music reflects the emotive tone perfectly, but this is all about the voice and lyrics. The opening lines “I’m walking by your memory today / Left me with a smile to take / With me to play again / When I can’t sleep again” instantly pulls at the heartstrings. It does so many times throughout the song. Even more during the chorus with each word on the repeated lines “You’re my beautiful loss / You’re my beautiful”. Even though there is sadness within the lyrics, there is also a beauty to it.
Lynne Jackaman releases and honest collection of songs with ‘One Shot’
One Shot came to life during a different time. But, Jackaman believes that during the current situation in the world, we need music more than ever. These are true words which this beautiful collection of songs supports. Just press play and her voice sweeps you away.
