This is more jazz, then blues, and I can say Etta James more blues, than jazz. So if you like blues more - this disc not for you. But if you are jazz fan - this disc is perfect!
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Jessica Johnson may only be 19, but if you were to hear her on her debut CD, Till It Happens To You (self-released), you would swear she has been around for at least 20 years. There is a sense of maturity in her voice that does not come from casually listening to the radio, a kind of richness that doesn't seem to pop up a lot these days. When it does, it's passed off as non-essential.

The songs on her CD range from jazz classics to well known pop standards, so one could easily see her making her way towards American Idol greatness, if she chooses to go down that route. I hope she doesn't, for she has the kind of voice that deserves much better recognition than that. In the title track, she immediately seduces the lyrics with the kind of vocal performance that sounds as if she is feeling the blues with the listener. It reminds me of the many soul vocalists of yesteryear such as Lisa Fischer, Natalie Cole, and more recent voices like Jill Scott and Jaguar Wright, since Johnson always manages to take her voice as close to the top as possible, but managing to maintain and keeping it under the lid.

All of the songs are mid-tempo or ballads, it's strictly jazz and pop for her with this one, although by hearing such tracks as "Cry Me A River", "I Believe In You And Me" and my personal favorite "Song For You", and you can hear someone who would do well in any genre, including country. As an example of her voice, Till It Happens To You is a great CD that demonstrates the caliber of talent that exists if people are willing to dig deeper and truly hear AND feel. All of the music is played by Tom Tomasello, although Johnson does work with a trio onstage which features Tomasello. I would have liked to have heard the live band she performs with, to get the kind of vibe she captures in her shows. While her song selections were very good, I would have liked a "cool down" song for she maintains her intensity in each of the 12 songs. It reminds me a bit of Anastasia, who is known for having a bold, powerful voice and the general public only knows her for that. The beauty in Anastasia's voice comes clear when she included a song on one of her albums where it was pure and unaffected. I'm not condemning Johnson, but I think for a second album I'd like to see her do that, to wrap up an album where it's not about having to prove herself, since she did that in the previous songs.

Does Johnson prove herself? All one has to hear is the first verse in the first track and be convinced by what is there. Regardless of the career path she takes, she will gain fans left and right, and I hope she sweeps them in and takes them all for what I hope will be a very long career.
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Jessica Johnson is one of the best new vocalists that I have heard to date!  She's only 19 and has a beautiful, captivating voice.  I wouldn't be surprised if she's a household name in the near future!
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Jessica is one of the most talented and captivating singers I've ever encountered.  She's only 19, and this is her debut CD!. I predict that she will be a major name in the music industry!
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