Search - Jessica Stone :: Melting

After a five-year hiatus from recording and performing, Jessica Stone has returned with her sophomore album, Melting, a collection of nine original songs and two Willie Nelson covers. Produced by Jon Evans of San Pablo Recorders in Berkeley CA, Melting is a sophisticated blend of pop, jazz and folk, with heavily acoustic arrangements that were recorded and mixed in an intimate style. The record was mastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios. Stone's jazziest tunes Need You and The First Dance could be mistaken as coming straight out of the Great American Songbook, and the latter - a romantic swing ballad - needs to be added to wedding playbooks across the country for couples who want to dance their way into wedded bliss. Forget Me Not, Melting, Fading, and In That Moment are crowd favorites that might be played on pop radio today. Sort Of stands out as the only rocker on the album, with a Rolling Stones-influenced arrangement complete with horns and a gospel chorus. Her covers of lesser-known but brilliant Willie Nelson songs, Wake Me When It is Over, Summer of Roses, and December Day are sparse, jazzy arrangements that trace only the thinnest of threads back to their country origin. Flowers In Her Hair and the final track, Lullaby, are sweet, folksy ballads with infectious simplicity. Overall, Melting is a satisfying collection of songs with great arrangement and production value.