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By Chris Pacifico
Back in 1966, The Temptations released a track called "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted." If the broken hearted were to congregate in the barren desert landscape of the West, in a dimly lit, smoke-filled bar in the middle of nowhere, where the last call bell never rings, chances are that Jesse Sykes is playing all night on the jukebox.
This third release is the charm for this Seattle based musician whose voice channels the woebegone ache of Gram Parsons, Ray LaMontagne, Cat Power, and Billie Holiday. The poignant and emotive yearning in her voice, along with her band which includes Phil Landscher (ex-Whiskeytown), wends through the channels of blues, alt-country, and a dram of eerie soul deep in a bottle of Wild Turkey.
Never have cigarettes given a woman's voice such an invigorating and flinty coo as they have for Sykes. She delves deep into her soul to brandish a smoky yearning that touches the listener down to the very marrow of their bones. "The Air is Thin" is a splendiferous number tinged with Gothic folk and airy gospel harmonies. Sykes's voice is touching when merged with the violin of avant garde composer Eyvind Kang on "Spectral Being." On "How Will We Know" the Hammond organ of Wayne Horvitz skims through the air like dandelion spores.
An album like Like, Love, Lust & the Open Halls of the Soul seems like it was intended for the era of vinyl but Sykes is driven by a sense of artistic and creative integrity that have all the indicators of a truly influential singer-songwriter in the making.
JamBase | San Francisco
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