A Huge Crowd for Jessie Baylin at Mercy Lounge

Nashville – It’s hard to pinpoint what is so alluring about Jessie Baylin. It could be her unshakeable composure, the tinge of huskiness in her classic voice, the pictures she posts of her adorable toddler on Instragram, or, simply, her beauty. Whatever it is, something about Jessie Baylin is magnetic. As testament to this, more than six hundred people showed up to sell out Mercy Lounge and see her headline for the first time in Nashville in two years. Among those six hundred was a slew of Nashville celebrities including Emily West, Kings of Leon drummer and Baylin’s husband, Nathan Followill, as well as the Barnes twins of a band we recently saw, The Weeks.

Jessie Baylin was backed by a full band that included keys, guitar, and drums. The Watson Twins also joined her to sing backup vocals, play acoustic guitar, and sway in perfect unison to all fifteen songs. She opened the night with “Little Spark,” the title track and arguably the strongest song off her 2012 album.

Little Spark was a big one for Baylin, personally and professionally. Money inherited from her grandmother allowed Baylin to break her record deal and release Little Spark through her self-created label, Blonde Rat Records. It showcased a new side of Baylin, one that brought Judy Garland to mind more than the rock qualities reminiscent of Kate York on her debut album, Firesight. But with a full band in tow at Mercy Lounge, she leaned more towards her earlier Kate York-esque days last Friday night.

The delicate, jazzy feel of Little Spark was lost on stage. That might have been for the best, since “delicate” doesn’t compete well against hundreds of people in a rock venue. Baylin maintained her even keel despite the band and bubbling, Friday night crowd. In fact she kept her composure a little too well.

Sometimes you wish she’d do something crazy. Jump around, dance, head-bang, anything that would show that one hundred percent of her heart was in the music she performed. The head nods and occasional tambourine flicks didn’t communicate much feeling to the large crowd.

Baylin played all but a couple songs from Little Spark and mostly ignored her first album. Happily, she played three songs in a row that haven’t been recorded on an album yet, which probably means that one is in the works.

She closed the night with the only song off Firesight, “Leave Your Mark.” Her words were a sweet sendoff: “Leave your mark on me, so if we part, I can still remember you.” She later tweeted, “Quite possibly my favorite show ever… 600+ peeps in a packed room in Nashville. Thanks for supporting me.” Her adopted hometown was happy to support. Even though she was no great performer, all “600+ peeps” stuck around until the very end to hear her say goodnight.

Photo By Caroline McDonald – Thumbnail Photo By Matt Wignall

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Caroline McDonald

My first memory is of singing Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” quietly to myself during preschool naptime. Perhaps it’s because I’m from Nashville where an instrument lives in every home, but music has gripped me for as long as I can remember.

After dabbling in many parts of the music industry—recording studios, PR, management, labels, publishing—I’m expanding into music journalism because I’m yet to find anything more rewarding that finding and sharing new music.

A longtime sucker for girls with guitars, my musical taste unabashedly follows the songwriting lineage of Dolly Parton and includes Patty Griffin, Gillian Welch, and Neko Case. But not to pigeonhole myself, my music love is big love that stretches from R.L. Burnside to Animal Collective to Lord Huron.

I’ve recently moved home to Nashville after living in Boston and Big Sur for several years. I’d forgotten how music pours onto the streets ten hours a day, seven days a week. I’m honored to share the creative explosion happening here. If your band is in the area or of the area, please reach out!