Back in 2001 I made a chat friend who live in a farmhouse just outside of Vancouver, Canada. He was a big folk-rock & country music fan and he and I would exchange ideas and introduce each other to our fav bands. He also had a webpage where he would hosts pics of concerts & photos taken at autograph signing sessions. One of the artists he introduced me to was Jessie Farrell.
In 2002, Jessie released her debut album Today on an independent label in Canada. The songs were more of a folksy balladsy nature and I was able to download a couple of her songs for free from her website. Her voice and her beauty captivated me and I was an instant fan. 5 years later, Jessie turned country-pop and put out her second album Nothing Fancy. She also changes her appearance – gone are the dyed blond dreadlocks, she’s a stunning redhead with straight hair!
Alright, so on to the songs. We start off with the catchy & instantly memorable Let’s Talk About Love. The video, which I had embedded on a post here much earlier is as catchy and fun filled as the song. It’s a great way to introduce new fans to Jessie. Next we go to very playful & tongue in cheek I Guess – which is about dating 2 guys at the same time and not knowing whom to choose! Time for a ballad – listen to Fell Right Into You, a song about love that happens unexpectedly and comes just at the time that we need it.
Best Of Me is about giving your all in a relationship, even if your lover isn’t reciprocating the same way back to you. Lucky is a song about being happy with yourself and feeling glad to have what you have. Sorry For You is about refusing to let your friend or partner bring you down to the woeful level that they are at. Another love song is Falling Asleep (In Your Arms). Prettiest Things
is stating that all the best things and simple things lead back to the loved one.
I Am Rock is about facing your past problems and telling yourself that you are above such things at this point. Jessie probably leaves her best vocal performance for the last song, Coming Home (Juno’s Song) about a young girl’s longing for home. All songs are easy listening and will end up being favourites for many a year. I love the album; go get it and you will too.
Here’s the video for Let’s Talk About Love that I like so much.
Did you listen to the cd at all?
BTW It’s JONO’S Song!!!
Yes I did. 6 times. The version that I have has a misprint on the song title – it says Juno and not Jono. Thanks for pointing that out.
Have u listened to the cd?
I have listened to Nothing Fancy. Many times and understand the cd. Coming Home is not about a young girls longing for home, Falling Asleep In Your Arms is not so much a love song as it is a way over getting over someone who left. I just think that if you are going to review the cd and give it the most basic definition you can then don’t review it at all. The writing that went into Nothing Fancy was pure heart and soul, not something that a record label through at a talented young girl. I feel that your review speaks nothing about the cd. You make Jessie Farrell sound like the Britney Spears of country music! But I do agree with the vocal performance on Coming Home. I just felt that you didn’t get the cd. Yes I know turning on the cd and listening to it is one thing, but when you put it on to clean your house and the songs make you stop in your tracks and listen to the cd, then it is something special. It may be called Nothing Fancy, but I think we both know it is so much more then that!
Errr…. James, I think most artists will agree that a lot of their songs are open for interpretation. For a lot of us a song like ‘Falling Asleep In Your Arms’ is a love song – whether it’s a happy love song or getting over a breakup, it’s still a love song. I’m not sure about u but for me a love song means about love, even if it’s a breakup, it’s all about love. I’m sorry if u feel that my writing makes Jessie sound like Britney – I love Jessie and I can’t stand Britney! And Jessie’s songs make me want to grove and dance and stop what I’m doing and just listen to her and I can lose myself completely in her songs. And you’re right – we wud both agree that it’s much more than ‘Nothing Fancy’.
I would like to just what it is about the words I wrote that made u think that ‘it something a record label THREW at a talented young girl. I have no such thoughts about that – this singer is pure talent! My reviews are about what I feel about the cds and songs that I listen to and not what everyone wants it to be. Rather than joining me and agreeing that we both think Jessie Farrel is a wonderful singer & songwriter, you’re getting into a slightly negative argument.
And oh – it’s my website and my blog so I’ll write what I want to. Unlike professional critics, I do not review songs or artists that I do not like!!