Jess Wayne Releases The Ancient Doors Album

BuzzSlayers
15 hours ago
3 min read

A fresh album release from Jess Wayne delivers a sort of warm and inviting crossover of what I would consider to be folk, country, blues, and jazz, all rolled into one record and performed with the energy and aesthetic of a live show.

One of the things I love about this album is that it displays an eclectic set of songs. Diverse songwriting speaks volumes on this record, and again, it runs the gamut of some of the best elements of lounge, jazz, Americana, and so much more. You can hear a slew of influences coming into play throughout this entire record, and it's only one of the reasons that I suggest listening to the entire thing from start to finish.

You have some great contemporary style guitar work that delivers crossovers of rock, funk, and jazz, you have organs that fill the space and give things a thicker feel, and lyrics that tell stories that you want to hear unfold as you listen.

You can certainly tell a lot of this record comes from some place authentic and genuine. And that is something that gives the record a ton of character.

There are more than a few surprises around its corners, and listening to the full record is the only way to really gain the full spectrum of what it has to offer.

There are songs like "Living Small, and "Don't Look Back" that really do stand tall in terms of singles; however, again, only the full record will give you the experience that you're meant to have.

One of my favorite tracks on this record is called "Learn To Love", and this is because it has such a unique feel and approach to it.

There's something uniquely inviting about this track, and it's got such a theatrical tonality that it has a very special way of sticking with you.

The record is packed with hooks, strong horses, and great guitar work, but it's the actual songwriting that really makes this special.

The album feels like watching a live performance, in a way.

There's something about the Ancient Door album that puts you in the moment with the songs themselves, and not only do you listen to the stories well, but you can kind of feel the emotion and mood from song to song.

I feel like you're getting a little glimpse into the life of the artist, and that's really impressive because the way that those pictures are painted can at times be very descriptive.

You can hear southern undertones and plenty of that jazz feel coming through, especially in some of the guitar work, and plenty of the classic rock and funk coming through with the percussion.

So, you have this great blend of genres that sort of come together seamlessly throughout the entire record's course.

Some of the tracks are very danceable, they deliver totally warm aesthetics and great grooves that are hard not to move your body to. Rhythm is a huge aspect of a lot of these songs because most of those groups are pretty strong, and to be able to bring those rhythms into songs that have layers and depth like this is pretty awesome.

Again, the thing that really hits the hardest about this whole album is just the sense of artistry and songwriting that takes place, especially in terms of blending genres the way that this one does.

The jazz, the folk, the blues, it's all there, and you hear plenty of the classic rock strewn throughout the record, plus you get all of this character and storytelling, so there's so much to soak in that you may have to listen to it a few times to really grasp it all.

The whole thing is a mood-setting release. It sets some amazing moods; there are bits of emotion that come through, you pay attention to a lot of the lyrics because of how descriptive they can be, and it all makes you want to move your body.

This is a record that stays with you, and although it's packed with outstanding musicianship and spans 11 Tracks and is incredibly satisfying, you still crave more at the end.

When this happens to you, I suggest just starting the record over.

So, dive into this one as soon as you can and get into the smooth and outstanding blend of warmer genres coming together in this unique experience.

Remember where you heard this first.