Jess Roberts is one of the newest young artists to grace the burgeoning UK country/Americana scene, and her traditional, acoustic slant is one that is fresh and greatly in demand. The songstress could easily just get by on her fabulous, soulful vocals, an aspect in which she outshines most of her peers, but she goes one further by keeping the focus on her honest, poetic songwriting and sweet, sparse arrangements that gently accompany without overwhelming. In her own words, the 21-year-old from Lancashire, England is inspired by old country, roots and rhythm & blues, and certainly that is clear from the offerings here. There are only four tracks on this EP and under thirteen minutes of playing time; this makes it feel quite short, but left wanting more all the same.
Just as the cover (a sepia image of an old man sitting on a porch step) and title for ‘There’s An Old Saying’ indicate, there’s an old soul in Jess that comes across most confidently in the maturity of her lyrics. On opener ‘Rose Coloured Glasses’ she muses over staying where she is or moving on with her life, hindered in her situation by her rose colored glasses which eschew her view on the truth. Despite her youth, Jess is able to capture an emotion so fluid, with a fresh angle and many touches of nuance and clarity. What’s also interesting about this track is its musical aspects; although the production is fairly sparse with her voice, a couple of acoustic guitars and little else, her attention to detail in the way the picking supports the vocals and really interesting handling of keys and tones make this stand out from a lot of her peers. It is carefully constructed, yet comes across very natural and real, and that is something that a lot of artists don’t have.
We hear the story continue through ‘Where You’re At’, as she sings “it’s just for one night”, trying to convince both herself and the object of her affection that getting back with an old lover does not mean anything, she’s just looking for someone to talk to. It never truly admits to how she really feels, yet we get the distinct impression of loneliness; a loneliness that cries out for intimacy and for old love, something that becomes apparent throughout the rest of the EP.
‘Nobody Wanted’ taps further into her traditional sense of melody and style and introduces mandolin alongside the guitars, making for a sweet accompaniment and a delightful helping of gentle twang. The lyrics reveal her darker view on the world and songwriting too; it tells the story of the narrator picking flowers for someone as a child, in the hope that person would be proud. Instead, they are disappointed, as her flowers are just weeds that nobody wanted. In a deft but simple tale, Jess has constructed a metaphor for as much the lonely lover as the forgotten child, striking a chord in much the same way as Ashley Monroe is able to in the track ‘Used’. This narrative continues in the spine-chilling closer ‘What You Never Had’, piecing together the puzzle as it laments a parent who was never there for her growing up and continues not to seem to care. It’s so honest in its delivery, so desperately sad yet so wonderfully relatable, that in all its unassuming quiet it becomes the EP standout, a vision of the artist Jess Roberts could really become.
There’s not a lot of positive in these songs, but there is a lot of heart and soul. If these aren’t her real life experiences then she’s damn good at weaving a story, and if they are she is well-versed at interpreting her emotions, snapshotting instances with stark detail. These songs are powerful and intelligent along with an understanding of a true country sound that is lacking from a lot of modern country music, particularly that produced in the UK, for perhaps obvious reasons. Don’t take your eye off this girl, she’s a star in the making.
