Jamie Wilson first appeared on the local scene as a member of the Gougers, but it wasn’t until she harmonized in the Trishas that the music faithful began paying attention. With her first full-length solo album, she falls somewhere between the soft-hearted country rock of the Seventies and the overly sensitive folkie onslaught of the Nineties. Originals, including co-writes with such notables as Jon Dee Graham, Jason Eady, and Wade Bowen, are definitely in the tradition, yet they’re mostly featherweight concoctions leaving little in the way of a lasting impression. “You Left My Chair” and “Here Tonight” feel overwrought – silly, childish emotions. Most of Holidays & Wedding Rings delivers similar sentiments and there’s no grease or grit to save it, although the two-stepper “Nigh Time Blues” leaves a mark with a sing-song chorus and funky guitar. More moments like it and Wilson might have produced something more memorable.
This article appears in August 21 • 2015.