I’ve known Jaime for many years now. I first met her as part of the Hoboken darlings The Fave several years back and was always a fan of the band’s attitude and her natural vocal attack. Fast-forward to 2017 and Jaime has her latest self-released project out called Nowhere. To call Jaime Rose a seasoned vocalist and songwriter would be putting it way too simply. In the past, she had teamed up with brother Dom to produce some of the area’s best original music, and that trend continues with her own release this month. Usually, you would find Jaime fronting the band that she and her brother have been performing in successfully for several years. But this time, for whatever the reason, Jaime steps out on her own, utilizing all new and seasoned players from the Hoboken, NJ area.
The disc was produced by Jaime and recorded in Hoboken at Silver Horse Sound. The band consists of Jaime Rose on vocals, Jaime DeJesus on bass, Max Feinstein on guitar, John Roccesano on drums as well as mixed by John in the studio. And while the EP only consists of four songs, the production and quality of both music and songwriting are enough to show that Jaime Rose has what it takes to do it on her own anytime.
The disc starts off with the namesake tune “Nowhere.” Rose demonstrates her years of skill right off the bat. The guitar work of Max Feinstein is immediately ear-catching goodness as the group sounds off with fiery fury. Feinstein reminds me of John Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls. His tone is full, and his style is a broad selection of everything I like in a guitarist. He works extremely well with DeJesus and Roccesano when it comes to creating great and memorable sounds. Rose comes in and literally kills. Her vocal tone is robust and sure as she tells her tale of self-sacrifice and self-determined forays through relationship strength. Feinstein’s Mike Campbell-inspired middle-eight lead work is ballsy and bombastic, supporting Rose correctly as the rhythm section pulses behind them. Verses lock tight with bridges and addictive choruses that Rose brings up as often as humanly possible, and it works like gangbusters. Jaime easily manages to sound fresh and vibrant in a world of monotone pop singers out there today.
“Liar” is up next and comes in with a pseudo mix of Beatles-esque tone and Blondie moxie. Rose soars effortlessly here. Her vocals meld with guitars, bass, and drums to come up with some interesting rock and roll sounds. Once again Max contributes some of the most unusually pleasant guitar sounds I’ve heard all year as Rose delves into her tale of moving on. She is one of the best singers out there today, and she demonstrates her great range throughout the piece. DeJesus runs the gamut moving up and down the neck like a champ as Roccesano nails the bottom end to the familiar ground. Choruses are incredibly memorable as Rose croons to the masses. Feinstein continues his run of goodness as he mixes chord structures, original single-note runs and riffs all over the song. This is a great song, and I feel that radio will love the hell out of it.
“Breathe” takes off next. Jaime changes things up a bit with this bouncy, poppy rock number that seems to pop straight out of the late ’80s at times. Skipping along at its up-tempo pace, “Breathe” does just that. Open and airy, the song leaves plenty of room for everyone to do their own thing without stepping on the arrangement. Rose sings her ode to freedom of space and breath perfectly. Backing vocals are seamless and carefree goodness as the band beats on. Jaime paces the effortless methods of Feinstein as she dives into her smooth style. I must say, her production sensibility for this disc is right on. Between the engineering sensibilities of John Roccesano, the playing style of the guys and Jaime’s intuition for sound quality, vocal arrangement, and presentation, this disc kicks major musical ass.
The last song on this way too small disc is called “Not Today.” I love the discordant feel of the opening acoustic work in the verse before the band kicks in for the first chorus. This attractive feature keeps coming back and on verse two it’s joined by backing vocals and guitars, bass and drums. Very Beatle-like. Jaime pulls everything out on this song vocally, laying her soul bare as she sheds emotional angst and heartache through lyrical delivery. Max, John and Jaime DeJesus work together to pull out all the stops and make this tune hum. Feinstein tears at the end with some fierce wah-wah guitar licks and lead riffs that would make Jason Everman sit up and take notice. Rose lets go with some sweltering highs in the end, verbalizing the title of the song and filling it with an ardent zeal and rock and roll attitude unlike any singer I’ve heard this year. My favorite song on the disc for sure.
Jaime Rose has always been at the top of her game with The Fave. It’s great to see her move out on her own and write, produce and record music without the familiar family moniker hanging over her head, and she’s done a great job on this amazing project from start to finish. I can only hope to one day see her climb out of Hoboken and go places she has deserved to be in for the last 10 years. With this caliber of playing talent, songwriting expertise and rock and roll soul, Nowhere might just be her ticket to bigger and better things.
If you get a chance, pick up Nowhere and give it a listen for yourself—I know you won’t be disappointed. Check out Jaime Rose over at www.facebook.com/JaimeRoseHoboken and https://store.cdbaby.com/m/artist/JaimeRose. Nowhere is also available on iTunes, Amazon and other popular music outlets.
