Jesse Terry - Empty Seat On A Plane

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Jesse Terry – Empty Seat On A Plane
2012, Jesse TerryJesse Terry is an award-winning singer/songwriter based inNew York City, but you won’t often find him there. Terry is an old-school road warrior, spending much of his time in clubsacross the U.S. or at festivals where he can share his music with more fans,potential or otherwise.  Along the way,Terry has won Grand Prize in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest and theCMT/NSAI Songwriting Competition, among others. Terry has shared the stage with the likes of Darrell Scott (RobertPlant), Shawn Mullins, Dar Williams, David Wilcox, Lori McKenna and Rachel Platten.  Jesse Terry released his newest album, Empty Seat on A Plane, in July of2012.  Produced by Neilson Hubbard (KimRichey, Glen Phillips, Matthew Perryman Jones), the album moves with deep emotionalwaves and sparkling storytelling.Terry kicks things off with “Empty Seats On A Plane”, asolid piece of folk pop that is deep in imagery.  As the title track and opener, it’s actuallyone of the more mundane tracks Terry wrote for the album, but a solid, ifquiet, start.  “Let The Blues Skies Go ToYour Head” is surprisingly introspective given the title.  Terry’s voice is distinctive, buzz worth withhints of a whine at times.  “WishfulThinking” is a gentle piece of Americana that’s aesthetically pretty andpoetically refined.  Terry continues tocatalog his deepest thoughts and fears.“Grace On A Train” is a standout track, with Terry seeminglytelling two stories at once, one real and one in allegory.  This is as fine a piece of songwriting as you’llfind, and sounds like a hybrid cross of Paul Simon and John Mayer (at hisbest).  Terry shows off his ability atsubtle word play in “Tightrope”.  There’sdefinitely more of a Paul Simon feel to this tune, and Terry’s literate lyricsand sprightly, rhythm-driven guitar arrangement are real charmers.  Jesse Terry goes for a gospel/Americana feelon “Bitterroot Valley”, the result is a pleasant listen, although it’s notclear from the listener’s perspective whether Terry really got to where heintended on this one.  A funky backbeatdrives “Blue Touches Blue”, which plays as an almost perfect counterpoint to “BitterrootValley”.“Coyotes” is a heartfelt ballad about being an outsiderlooking in.  Jesse Terry develops thesong perfectly, with tremendous slow build in energy and intensity that sucksthe listener in.  The spacey guitar workthat dots the edges of the song is unusual and cool, a fine artist’stouch.    Terry strips things down to thebase for “Barefoot Child”, a straight-forward reflection on the world that isfull of a quiet beauty and grace.  “SacredOr Nothing” ironically turns on itself perhaps, turning out to be one of thetwo weakest tracks on the disc, but Terry recovers well with the awkwardlysentimental but comely “Scenic Route”. Jesse Terry says goodnight in perfect fashion with the swaying rhythmsof “Pearl Diver”.  Terry paints entirescenes in words here against a clear, clean melody that is built of a simplebeauty.Jesse Terry is an amazing talented singer/songwriter.  His ability to sculpt powerful images with wordsimpresses from the outset of Empty SeatOn A Plane.  His tendency to getwrapped up in his own inner emotional dogma can be kind of a drag for thelistener as well.  At his best, Terry islike the second coming of Paul Simon as a songwriter, with a voice that’ssomewhere in the range of John Mayer.  Athis worst moments, Terry’s voice and inward focus can make him sound whiny or self-pitying.  On balance, Empty Seat On A Plane is a powerful experience for the listener –one bound to make a lasting impression. There’s little doubt that Jesse Terry is going to have a big followingone day.Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)Learn more about Jesse Terry at www.jesseterrymusic.com.