Simon RushworthJessica Lynn — All I Own (Self Released)
Think back to the mid 90s and the moment when the stars aligned for then husband and wife Robert John ‘Mutt’ Lange and Shania Twain.
The man behind Def Leppard’s timeless Hysteria had repeated the trick — a decade later — with his other half’s soon-to-be 20x platinum classic Come On Over.
Now there’s no sign of Mutt on All I Own but when he does get to hear this fabulous record, he’ll no doubt be hard pressed to suppress a wry smile.
You see, Jessica Lynn’s latest release has got Twain’s trademark 90s sheen running right through its perfectly polished 10 tracks.
A flawless album — recorded in the face of adversity after a potentially devastating diagnosis of muscle tension dysphonia (MTD) — shimmers from start to finish.
And Lynn appears to love pushing the boundaries and keeping her fans guessing on a long player that stretches her skillset to the limit.
There’s blues, soul, Latino, Southern rock and more as the singer songwriter flits seamlessly from sizzling to sultry and back again.
But it’s the fact that Lynn never loses sight of her country schooling that keeps everything on track — those meaningful roots infiltrate almost every song here.
Lynn goes all in on All I Own. Surely Shania can’t resist that long awaited collab now…
Lynn’s all in on All I Own
All I Own is a constantly evolving and frequently surprising record.
Take Shame — a glitterball of Santana-esque Latino cool that sparkles in all the right places.
Never saw that coming!
Equally unexpected is You Save Me: the haunting ballad leans on subtle slide and a heartfelt narrative shaped around music’s power to heal.
British Army veteran Liam Wakefield teams up with Lynn to pace one of the most affecting songs you’ll hear all year.
Mixed Signals benefits from some bold brass and there’s a volley of bad-ass blues underpinning Straight Outta Luck.
Lynn should head straight to New York’s Lower East Side with this one — the regulars at Sour Mouse’s Tuesday night jam would lap it up.
The emotional title track may well be the most ‘traditional’ tune here and perhaps it carries that extra emotional heft that some of the other songs lack.
Lynn’s undoubtedly at her best singing stripped back countryfied ballads but it’s credit to an artist on the rise that All I Own is an album crafted far beyond the comfort zone.
Some long-time fans might baulk at the blind ambition.
But the majority will surely appreciate Lynn spreading her wings… and spreading the joy.
