[rating=6.00]
In interviews regarding her new album Love and Forgiveness, Courtney Jaye has been quoted as saying “I’ve always wanted to find a way to not be afraid of pop. I’m done apologizing for writing big songs.” Jaye (with a helping hand from producer Mike Wrucke) has certainly done that here as fans of 70’s folk-pop will instantly enjoy their surroundings.
Artists like Jackson Browne and Linda Ronstadt can be heard in all the nooks and crannies, from style to production to song performance. “Every Time We Say Goodbye” sounds like it could have been on the Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid soundtrack, while one of the stronger songs “One Way Conversation” has an instant appeal to any fans of The Band. Album opener “Ask Me To” is full of big hooks and is immediately accessible to current Nashville leaning mainstream fans as is “Morning” with its doo-doo-doo’s.
The slide guitar and vocal layering on the delicate “Summer Rain” are pitch perfect country rock prettiness that Jaye’s heroes would be proud of while the emotional “Say Oh Say” feels more confessional, cutting the sheen off of the hurt turning things personal. The title track contains a cool guitar lick while still focusing on Jaye’s performance, a good combo of everything captured herein and worthy of titling the album.
Jaye’s voice is intriguing, at times it floats high enchanting and other places it can sound thin, almost as if she was experimenting with singing styles (sometimes in the same song) but the lush playing/production and stout writing pulls things through. She just pulled through herself having recovered from a major car accident; Love and Forgiveness finds Jaye going for it with confidence.
