The Tao of Jamie Lin Wilson and “Jumping Over Rocks”
It’s not exclusively the music from our favorite artists that inspires us. It’s how they’re gifted with the tenacity to pursue their dreams fearlessly, and with a willingness to sacrifice we all wish we had, or maybe we did have at one time before life got in the way. But they don’t let life get in the way. They get in the way of life.
There’s just something different about the makeup of Texas singer songwriter Jamie Lin Wilson. Where some would allow the presence of three young children at home to stifle their musical pursuits, Jamie Lin Wilson uses the challenge of balancing motherhood and music as fuel and inspiration. Where so many artists these days call on the inherent unfairness of the music industry to blame everyone else for their lack of success, Jamie Lin worries more about taking advantage of any and all of the opportunities bestowed to her, big or small. Where some may use the birth of their fourth child to slow down and step back from their careers, Wilson uses it as the springboard to release a new album.
Call it The Tao of Jamie Lin Wilson. It’s about figuring out a way to pursue your passions, regardless of the challenges. It’s facing adversity with a cheerfulness and perseverance until the walls in front of you come crumbling down almost automatically. It’s about making yourself available to finish a co-write, lend a backing vocal, or whatever else it takes to wiggle your way into the music scene with a smile and a willingness in your heart, just like Jamie Lin Wilson has been doing for years.
Possibly the greatest endorsement for the value of Jamie Lin Wilson is how revered she is by her peers. From Ray Wylie Hubbard and Wade Bowen, to Cody Canada and Evan Felker, she is often the woman they call on to finish a song, lend a vocal, or invite on stage to add some color to a live performance. Jamie Lin’s hustle would mean little if she didn’t have the talent and expertise to step into just about any musical scenario and make it better. Jamie Lin Wilson has become like the spirit animal of the entire Texas music scene, both as a songwriter to admire, and an inspiration for the type of attitude and approach you should bring to music, and life.
Jumping Over Rocks is Jamie Line Wilson’s second official solo release to go along with her early work with The Gougers, and later with the Texas music supergroup The Trishas. All that feels well in the past now though, similar to how referencing Jason Isbell as “The Former Drive-By Trucker” feels obsolete. Jamie Lin Wilson is Jamie Lin Wilson—The Queen of Texas/Red Dirt’s modern era.
At times Jumping Over Rocks meanders a bit when it comes to the impression it leaves from a musical standpoint. It’s often hard to know what to do with pure songwriters and solo performers such as Jamie Lin since they don’t have a full-time touring band behind them to help establish a unique sound. The production of Jumping Over Rock labors mostly to get out of the way of the songs themselves, keeping things light, sparse, and nebulous to avoid pigeonholing Wilson in any specific sound or genre. This is a smart move. And though it succeeds at this task generally, it also struggles to leave any unique signature aside from a few specific moments in certain songs.
But the songs are what you come here for, and Jamie Lin Wilson delivers a masterful selection of them from start to finish. The crack of her voice in the opening song “Faithful & True” immediately makes the heart succumb to the swell of emotion this album contains, and illustrates why it’s not just her songs, but the strength of her voice colored by a unique warble that makes Jamie Lin Wilson a preeminent artist regardless of what specific scene you want to classify her in.
The solo-written “Death & Life” is nothing short of songwriting mastery, slaying all who listen with open hearts, feeling less like a country roots song, and more like some Eastern poem that unlocks the inalienable truths of life in a breathtaking efficiency of ink strokes on parchment. “Run” emerges as the hit of the record, giving the work some important tempo and texture, excellently written and performed with a superb piano solo and half-time chorus. “Eyes For You” gives the album its country moment, and the warmth of romance.
Fans of the Turnpike Troubadours will recognize the song “Oklahoma Stars” which Wilson co-wrote with Evan Felker, who appears on the record singing harmony. Jack Ingram makes an appearance on a valiant cover of Guy Clark’s “Instant Coffee Blues.” Ingram also co-wrote “Faithful & True.” Other co-writers who appear are Mike Ethan Messick and Brian Wright, but Wilson wrote half of Jumping Over Rocks by herself, including many of the marquee songs.
Maybe the most aching moment on the album comes from “The Being Gone,” which finds Jamie Lin Wilson pondering if all the effort she’s expended for her music has been worth it, including the long weekends away from her family. In no way can Jamie Lin be characterized as an absentee mother. Wilson often brings her kids with her to shows, including a recent tour she did with her newborn son. And though tours do necessitate her leaving town, they also allow her to stay home for long periods. If “The Being Gone” is a question of the value of the sacrifice, and Jumping Over Rocks is the result, then the answer if the effort was worth it is a resounding “yes.”
Jumping Over Rocks is not a default title; it’s perfect. It’s a testament to Jamie Lin Wilson’s dexterity as an artist, and as a human. She is a remover of obstacles, a doer of the demanding. They say you can’t be a full time mother and have a meaningful music career. You can’t give birth to a child and release a new record and hit the road a few weeks later. Try telling that to Jamie Lin Wilson. Just as her music bolsters our spirit, imparts important wisdom, and wets the corner of the eye, Jamie Lin Wilson’s personal story inspires us to pursue our own dreams and persevere, touching us just as much or more than any single note she may sing, or splendid line of verse she may compose. With Jamie Lin Wilson, it’s the full package that leaves you spellbound.
8.5/10
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November 1, 2018 @ 8:14 am
Great writing, and you can hear what she’s saying.
Is it just me or is her voice like 8 cents off in a couple places in “Run?” Something is tweaking my ear. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll take that over auto tune ANY DAY. At least we know she wasn’t cheating lol.
haha. That makes me sound like a real jerk, I know, but it was my honest first thoughts.
November 1, 2018 @ 9:19 am
” Is it just me or is her voice like 8 cents off in a couple places in “Run?” Something is tweaking my ear. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll take that over auto tune ANY DAY. At least we know she wasn’t cheating lol.”
Conrad …this was the very first thing I noticed also . I’ve mentioned the pitch thing in the past on Jamie’s stuff . I absolutely love the sound of her voice and the songs I’ve heard ….but the pitch on RUN is as bad as I’ve heard-particularly as the track goes on – and I can’t help but be distracted by it and wonder how that slips through . I’m almost certain ,listening to her vocals , ( I do a TON of session work at my studio that another pass or two would have nailed it in those suspect spots , if she was opposed to auto-tuning it .
November 1, 2018 @ 9:51 am
I heard that as it went by in the mix, in the studio. We cut this whole record live, no overdubs, no fixes in my vocals. We decided to leave it for the sake of the performance. That’s a challenging note. I appreciate tuning vocals in most circumstances, but we made that decision purposely and I was waiting on someone to point it out. If it was offensively bad, I would have fixed it. But it was a hair under the line. You have good ears. Sorry if it ruined the song for you. There are plenty of imperfect moments that I love on the entire record. That was the point of the way we recorded it.
November 1, 2018 @ 11:08 am
Performance, feel, emotion and character beat out perfection to me any day. I like the production on this record. If I wanted to listen to a computer I’d listen to techno. Nice job. ????
November 1, 2018 @ 11:55 am
As Thelonious Monk said, “There’s wrong notes, and then there’s shit that sounds bad.” This is DEFINITELY not the latter. Bless a musician who is human. Keep up the great work, Jamie.
November 1, 2018 @ 2:50 pm
JLW,
Outstanding. That’s another thing entirely. You have my respect.
November 1, 2018 @ 3:00 pm
I love the imperfections. It makes the record more real and relatable. I tagged you on IG recently about Death & Life. Its the first time I ever heard a song that seemed like it was written specifically for me. My first son and child was born this year, and we had decided almost as soon as we concieved to name him after my grandfather who has always been a hero to me. Life can be crazy, sad, joyful, eye-opening all at once at certain points, and that’s what happened for me on May 18, 2018. My grandfather died that morning, and my son was born later that afternoon. Unfortunately, he was gone 3 1/2 months later, because his mom is suffering from serious depression and we fell apart and I’m now working on getting him back thru the courts. I listened to Death & Life for the first time shortly after she left, and all my worries and fears about my relationship with my son melted away, because I knew that my love for my son would guide him back to me. I know that as long as I focus on my love for my son, and never give up on being his dad that everything will be ok in the end and the cycle of love and family will continue. Songwriters like you who are real, and who don’t worry about making polished records, are the reason music is my favorite pastime and the reason country & roots are my favorite genres. Thank you ma’am.
November 1, 2018 @ 6:10 pm
First listen and really enjoyed the craftsmanship of the songs and how great the music sounds. These “live” recorded albums are such a breath of fresh air, it adds another dimension to the music and brings it to life.
November 3, 2018 @ 3:17 am
JLW …I do appreciate your reasoning behind the recording approach and I LOVE the idea of a live performance . When I have artists in my studio I always consider the ‘finished product’ to be a calling card for ME as a producer as much as it should be the best representation/interpretation of the artist. I’m invested in giving the artist the BEST production of the performance that I can .
…..my question would be , then ..why not just record several takes of each song and grab the one with the best vocal performance ? If everyone is there and its ‘ off the floor ‘ anyway its maybe 45 extra minutes of recording for the entire project….still WAY under what a ‘layered’ album would run cost-wise AND you still get the vibe of live .
November 1, 2018 @ 7:09 pm
I think Guy Clark used to record his albums in one take and that was it. I remember hearing him say that his recorded songs were just “how it happened to sound that day.”
In many ways a song is never sung the same twice. So if you didn’t like the version on the record, there is ample opportunity to hear it sung again on another day.
This is a beautiful record, JLW. Thank you for sharing it with us.
November 1, 2018 @ 9:46 am
Yeah not perfect…. but it’s ok to me. I also prefer character over perfection. Most people can deal with slight pitch issues way better than timing issues.
November 1, 2018 @ 4:03 pm
There’s imperfection, and then there’s singing flat. You guys have good ears.
Would these tracks have been less compelling if you corrected her pitch on strong beats and sustained notes?
Or is the truth of performance more important than its emotional impact?
November 3, 2018 @ 3:24 am
I think you can have it all , Corncaster …a compelling track AND great pitch AND truth and emotional impact in the performance . I think that when you have quality songwriting and musicianship in play ,as JLW does here , you owe it to the material and the artists involved to deliver that , as a producer . ( see my thoughts above )
November 1, 2018 @ 8:16 am
Her work just gets more impressive all the time. There’s nobody out there who deserves success more than she does. The cover of ‘Instant Coffee Blues’ is like hearing it again for the first time. Simply wonderful.
November 1, 2018 @ 8:17 am
It may be my favorite record of the year. What a treat!
November 1, 2018 @ 8:30 am
And that is what I love about SCM. Discovering new artists. Never heard of Jamie Lin Wilson but definitely a new fan.
November 1, 2018 @ 8:58 am
Nailed it! What a joy to read this review over coffee this morning XO
November 1, 2018 @ 9:05 am
This made me feel very lazy and unfocused – but many of us could use a kick in the ass every now and then.
It’s inspiring what she, and people like Lori McKenna, (and their significant others)can do with their lives.
Looking forward to digging into this one. Nice review.
November 1, 2018 @ 10:45 am
Lori McKenna is another who defies the odds and the antiquated thinking that mothers of lots of kids can’t make it in music and shouldn’t even try. She’s become one of the most decorated and successful songwriters in the mainstream during an era where it’s never been harder for quality songs to make it to the top, while also recording her own music and touring when she can. Can’t tell you how inspiring these women are.
November 1, 2018 @ 9:15 am
I’m gonna give my “sensitive, elderly person”, opinion: Trigger, you are by far the best writer I’ve read on the internet. Your writing made me want to listen to the videos posted. But, to me, and maybe this where my “elderly” status comes into play; Death and Life was too long, and I don’t subscribe to instant gratification, but, her voice grates on me, so I didn’t listen to the other video.
That’s not saying anything against her, necessarily. I just don’t care for her voice, even if Triggers admiration for her personal traits are an asset many would die for, which, if true, are admirable, to be envied, traits.
November 1, 2018 @ 9:38 am
I’ve absolutely fallen in love with her music. Old Oldsmobile is my favorite off her previous. Can’t wait to find out which one will be my favorite from this record (after MANY listens!).
November 1, 2018 @ 10:09 am
if more women took life lessons from JLW there would be no need for a feminist movement or pink hats.
November 1, 2018 @ 1:09 pm
There are definitely sectors of the economy where it is more difficult for women to be successful, and country music is one of those, and Texas country especially. But there is too much energy being expended at the moment by some artists and the press at raging against these challenges as opposed to putting that energy and passion into productive measures to support the music itself. Don’t waste your anger on Twitter blaming everyone else for your lack of success. Channel it into your music, use it as fuel to write better songs, make better albums and smarter decisions, to push yourself and challenge the men for the attention. The men of Texas country don’t universally sing the praises of Jamie Lin Wilson because she’s a woman and they need that token, it’s because she’s good, and they feel challenged and inspired by her. Nobody will ever stand in the way of you accomplishing your goals more than yourself. Some use “oppression” as an excuse for their failure. Others use challenges they face as the motivation to succeed. Of course there’s obstacles in the way, but that’s life. Of course we should all call out injustices when we see them and try to break them down. But ultimately it’s about the music, and if you focus on that and being the best you can be, the barriers will miraculously melt away. You may not sell out arenas next week, but like Jamie Lin Wilson proves, you can have a career, find fans and peer appreciation, and leave your important mark on this planet.
November 1, 2018 @ 11:22 am
Another great album from JLW, she is absolutely my favorite female country artist. This will get a lot of spins around our house.
November 1, 2018 @ 11:31 am
My wife and I got lucky and caught Jamie live in a small barn in Southern Wisconsin and it was the most entertaining, endearing shows I’ve ever been to. Living in Chicagoland, our opportunities to see Jamie are scarce but she always makes the effort worth it.
November 1, 2018 @ 2:00 pm
Her version of Oklahoma Stars is amazing! The rest is hit or miss to me.
November 3, 2018 @ 11:21 am
Its her song. She wrote all but one verse of it.
November 1, 2018 @ 4:05 pm
Jamie is not a pop confection.
I know gals like her and love her for being a voice they feel kin to.
She feels like family.
November 1, 2018 @ 5:42 pm
I’m a bass player, and I grew up playing old-time music. Energy and rhythm mean way more to me than they should. I love hard-charging, fast, mean, snarling, pounding, speeding-ticket-inducing hillbilly music.
Jamie Lin Wilson might be my favorite country singer/songwriter going. Watching the leaves fall from my porch, with her playing on the stereo, touches my heart in a way nothing else does. Thank you from North Carolina.
November 1, 2018 @ 6:18 pm
This album is as amazing as her. I’ve been listening to it for months and we got to sit down and talk with her on our podcast when we were down at Medicine Stone. Death and Life is a masterpiece.
November 1, 2018 @ 6:19 pm
https://youtu.be/nRWFslx_2xc
Dimebag’s take on singing imperfections. 1:03 gets to the point.
November 1, 2018 @ 6:44 pm
Love all her music. Saw her last winter in Key West and she was awesome. Can’t wait to see her down there again in January.
November 1, 2018 @ 6:52 pm
Jlw, is a bad ass. I was extremely impressed with her performances with everybody any mile0fest. She is talented and relentless.
Go jlw
Tim Norris
November 2, 2018 @ 4:40 am
“It’s not exclusively the music from our favorite artists that inspires us. It’s how they’re gifted with the tenacity to pursue their dreams fearlessly, and with a willingness to sacrifice we all wish we had, or maybe we did have at one time before life got in the way. But they don’t let life get in the way. They get in the way of life.”
I love this. I also love this Jamie Lin Wilson record. Thank you for the introduction.
November 2, 2018 @ 7:35 am
If Amanda Shires and JLW ever sang a duet it would be the most heartfelt song the world has ever heard. I love the raw and pure emotion in their voices. Great work!
I once saw her open for Wade Bowen who was singing an acoustic set. She was sick as a dog and still managed to put on a great show. I have the utmost respect for her hustle.
November 3, 2018 @ 3:51 pm
I’d add Courtney Marie Andrews to make it a trio.
November 2, 2018 @ 8:45 am
I’ve been loving holidays and wedding rings and this new one doesn’t disappoint.
JLW really kicks ass and it’s incerdible how she manages her carreer and family life.
November 2, 2018 @ 2:02 pm
The reviews here are always good, but lately they’ve gone up a level or two.
Those are two very very beautiful tunes. In every way.
November 4, 2018 @ 7:23 am
Yeah, I’ve noticed that too. It’s like Trigger fell in love or something, and that’s been spilling over into his writing.
November 4, 2018 @ 8:08 am
Good music inspires good writing. October 26th was the strongest release day for new music I can recall since starting this website.
November 4, 2018 @ 5:58 pm
You just keep rising to that occasion, Trig.
November 2, 2018 @ 4:04 pm
Emmylou ain’t got to worry none about who’ll occupy that throne at the Silver Dollar after her (not that I wish her gone). Didn’t know Jamie Lin was a mother of four – now I love her even more. Great review of a great record.
November 3, 2018 @ 1:38 am
Saving Country Music is the reason I first heard Jamie Lin Wilson and why I bought her first solo album soon afterwards. I pre-ordered Jumping Over Rocks. Just in case you don’t hear it enough, Trigger, your words and your opinions make a difference. Reading this site has brought a lot of great music in my life that I wouldn’t know about otherwise.
November 3, 2018 @ 11:24 am
Love this album, it’s been on steady rotation at our house since it came out. I was hoping for a studio version of “Drive” though, but that being said every song is a slam dunk
November 4, 2018 @ 7:30 am
“All this sense that I’ve been makin’ makes no sense to me at all” – love that line. I nominate “The Being Gone” for the Song of the Year!
December 12, 2018 @ 5:42 am
Sure wish I lived in Texas so I could see more live shows. Love JLW, everything about her music, her story and character, pursuit of her dream and what it takes to get there. No wining from this girl, just a lot of hard work to deliver her incredible talent to us lucky listeners. Very grateful JLW, your album is simply incredible but you are even more!
December 29, 2019 @ 9:22 pm
This.is.RIDICULOUS.
Wow, this is extraordinarily good.