Show Review

Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter have arrived with the release of their newest album Oh My Girl. It is a beautiful compilation of vocals and instruments that when listened to, blends the moody sounds of eerie guitar and gorgeous longing voices.

Jesse Sykes made it to New York City last week with her guitarist, Phil Wandscher. The venue was in central Manhattan in a basement of a café / bar and after she took the stage, it was easy to block out the rumble of passing subways. They opened the show with a few songs off of their first album which made you feel like you were in a garage somewhere listing to a bands’ jam session. There is something missing from their earlier songs, but after a few requests to take some reverb off of the sound, they finally went into “Troubled Soul” off of the Oh My Girl album. This song sounds like beautiful lyrics sung over the sounds of a western showdown.

The audience that came to the show to see Jesse Sykes where definitely not disappointed. Those that were there for any other acts or any other reasons were sure to fall for Jesse at this point. Her unique voice sounds much more aged than her face could show and the pitch is absolutely beautiful. She strums and he picks. She sings low and he sings high. Very simply, together they make beautiful music.

The show ended with “You’re Not Gotten Here,” after her stating that they should challenge themselves by playing that piece. The lyrics are poetic and the chorus happily rang in my ears the whole way home that night.

Jesse Sykes will be embarking on a national tour with her entire band this fall (making it back to NYC sometime in September). Until then, I suggest buying the album as it is well worth owning and in June was number one on the ‘most sold albums’ list from independent music stores in the Pacific Northwest.