EP Review: Jillian Jacqueline’s ‘SIDE A’

The greatest thing about Jillian Jacqueline is that she possesses the ability to take each and every musical influence that has been a part of her inner fabric, apply it, and have the result come out to be very much an original sound. 

Written by Chuck Dauphin
EP Review: Jillian Jacqueline’s ‘SIDE A’
Jillian Jacqueline; Cover art courtesy Sweet Talk PR

If there is anyone who can spot a talented female vocalist, it’s Country Music Hall of Famer Kenny Rogers. Of course, throughout his career, he has collaborated with many of them – Dolly Parton, Dottie West, and Sheena Easton, among them. So, if “The Gambler” sees something special in you, you can take that as a pretty good sign of what may lie around the career corner. For seven years, Jillian Jacqueline toured with the singer as part of his Christmas From The Heart stage show. So, one can safely assume that the Pennsylvania native picked up some critical tips from the iconic performer. Throw in recording sessions with talents such as Vince Gill and Richard Marx, and you would likely assume that Jacqueline has that certain something special that is going to set her apart from the pack.

Take one listen to this, her debut SIDE A EP, and you will quickly find that those assumptions are spot on. The singer possesses a spark and talent that is on par with the artists that she has learned from – yet also is very much different than anything that has come down the pike in a while. She fits well within the current country landscape, but her music would also find a deserved place on the airwaves of other musical formats, as well. From the sound of things here, there’s something about Jacqueline!

So, what is that something? Well, for starters, her writing chops are particularly strong. Take a song such as “God Bless This Mess,” which she wrote with recent ACM winner Lori McKenna. There’s a depth and a heart that is on vocal display in the song that some artists twice Jacqueline’s age don’t possess. “Reasons,” her current single, has been making quite an impact with listeners as of late, and with good reason. The gripping ballad is about a couple that has come to the end of their rainbow, and while both know the heartbreaking truth, they are still not quite ready to let go of each other. Breaking up is also the subject of the alluring “Hate Me,” an extremely well-written ballad about a woman who is hoping that her significant other would set her free, even if it means his feelings for her are spite-heavy at first. There’s a sensitivity to the song that works well for the singer-songwriter, and it’s a narrative that others have felt many times over the years, no doubt.

Perhaps the best example of just how versatile the singer is comes on the countrified sass of “Sugar and Salt,” which is set up quite nicely with a guitar-driven intro that allows the emotion of the song to bleed through, and then she segues into the pop feel of tracks such as “Holier Than Thou” and “Bleachers.” It’s not a new thing to be influenced by such 90s crossover stars such as Shania Twain or Faith Hill, but on the former, it’s easy to assume that Jacqueline listened to Alanis Morissette’s epic Jagged Little Pill disc.

The greatest thing about Jillian Jacqueline is that she possesses the ability to take each and every musical influence that has been a part of her inner fabric, apply it, and have the result come out to be very much an original sound. This singer simply sounds and writes like nobody else in her marketplace, and look for that to be an ingredient that makes her plenty of fans as time goes on!