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LYNN JACKSON biography An authenticity runs through Lynn Jackson’s music that reflects a deep commitment to telling stories that ring true with listeners. Combine this with her gentle voice, rich instrumentation (violin, trumpet, flugelhorn, cello, piano and guitars) and sweet melodies and you get a sound that is more than just a little folk-pop. • Sing Out! (2008) says that Jackson’s sweet voice, a la Alison Kraus, offers up “spare poetic mood-songs and a wistful whispery voice that conveys a palette of emotion from longing and regret to freedom and nostalgia.” But it is often her song-writing itself that is the focus of reviews and acclaim. Jackson is preparing to release her fourth album SOFT STARS, a work she produced with help from BOB EGAN (BLUE RODEO, WILCO) and featuring Guelph’s Lewis Mellville on banjo and FEIST'S BRYDEN BAIRD on horns. The album signals a departure from Jackson’s usual rootsy fare, to reveal a more experimental edge, with piano taking the place of the guitar throughout and with horns, cello and even beatboxing adding intriguing accents. The 33-year-old Ontario-based artist’s three previous albums, (Night Songs, 2004, independent), including Sweet Relief (Busted Flat, 2005), and Restless Days (2007, Busted Flat), all received regular radio play on campus and community stations across North America. • The Kitchener-Waterloo Record says that “Jackson continues to grow as a songwriter as she extends her lyrical palette to encompass both the personal and the social. [Restless Days] takes her further down the alt-country highway – she’s a sweeter version of Kathleen Edwards or Shelby Lynn.” Jackson was named Female Indie Artist of the Year for 2005 by the Kitchener-Waterloo Record. • Exclaim! magazine called Sweet Relief “an understated gem,” and Restless Days has already been earning similar praise from critics and fans. “[Restless Days is] a solid-sounding record that highlights her soulful voice,” notes Monday Magazine. “Whether she’s spinning tales about down-and-outers or singing love songs, Jackson’s voice is mesmerizing, and she manages to inject her mostly country style with the occasional bit of rock, bluegrass, and even reggae.” Jackson’s influences include artists who write their own songs about interesting characters – song-writers like Elvis Costello, Tom Waits, Lucinda Williams, Ani DiFranco and Leonard Cohen. She listens for honesty, “which you can recognize when you hear it because you know what the artist is talking about,” Jackson states. “I like to write about the human condition, the things that people don’t talk about and just suffer through,” she says. • Echo magazine says that “Lynn Jackson is carrying on a glorious tradition. Like Cash, Dylan, Cohen, and so many other songwriting pillars before her, Jackson is writing for the people. Now three records into her career...she has strayed slightly from the intensely personal subjects that characterized her early work and has blossomed into a true storyteller, spinning yarns about the minutiae that defines the lives of us all." • Watch for the upcoming release of Jackson’s Soft Stars in May 2008 with a Western Canada tour to follow this summer. Exclaim! magazine called Sweet Relief “an understated gem,” and Restless Days has already been earning similar praise from critics and fans. “[Restless Days is] a solid-sounding record that highlights her soulful voice,” notes Monday Magazine. “Whether she’s spinning tales about down-and-outers or singing love songs, Jackson’s voice is mesmerizing, and she manages to inject her mostly country style with the occasional bit of rock, bluegrass, and even reggae.” The Kitchener-Waterloo Record says that “Jackson continues to grow as a songwriter as she extends her lyrical palette to encompass both the personal and the social. [Restless Days] takes her further down the alt-country highway – she’s a sweeter version of Kathleen Edwards or Shelby Lynn.” Jackson was named Female Indie Artist of the Year for 2005 by the Kitchener-Waterloo Record. Jackson’s influences include artists who write their own songs about interesting characters – song-writers like Elvis Costello, Tom Waits, Lucinda Williams, Ani DiFranco and Leonard Cohen. She listens for honesty, “which you can recognize when you hear it because you know what the artist is talking about,” Jackson states. “I like to write about the human condition, the things that people don’t talk about and just suffer through,” Jackson says. “I put myself in their position to write, often at night when most people are in bed and it’s quiet -- when I find there’s time to think.” Echo magazine says that “Lynn Jackson is carrying on a glorious tradition. Like Cash, Dylan, Cohen, and so many other songwriting pillars before her, Jackson is writing for the people. Now three records into her career...she has strayed slightly from the intensely personal subjects that characterized her early work and has blossomed into a true storyteller, spinning yarns about the minutiae that defines the lives of us all." "I've always been writing, since I was in high school," Jackson says, noting that she studied literature and journalism at college. "I knew I liked singing, so eventually I just combined the two. It just evolved from there until I started writing songs.” Jackson believes that “the more you try, and the more you listen to, the better a writer you will become.” That’s why she’s looking forward to experimenting with her sound for her next project. She’s cooking up ideas for an album of songs that will depart from the ballads and roots sound that has been her staple so far. Jackson has already kicked off the summer with a Western Canadian tour, playing gigs across Alberta and BC. “Playing for new people and getting a great response is what it’s all about,” she says. “Touring and writing and the whole thing put together is a ton of work – you really have to be doing it because you love it, and because you can’t imagine what you’d do if you weren’t doing this – that’s what it comes down to for me,” she says. Jackson will also be playing several dates in Ontario this summer, including the Hillside Festival on Guelph Lake Island in July, where she’ll perform alongside folk legends Ron Sexsmith, The Dears, Melissa Ferrick and Ani DiFranco. Contact: Mark Logan, Busted Flat Records, 519.221.0884 www.bustedflatrecords.com 161 Queen St. N., Kitchener, ON, N2H 2H8 519-581-1354 malogan@rogers.com