Local Review: Jesse Lovelock – Jesse Lovelock and The Velvet Voices

Jesse Lovelock
Jesse Lovelock and The Velvet Voices
Self-Released
Street: 09.15.2025
Jesse Lovelock = Johnny Cash + bluesy Elvis + the Fallout radio

If you hit play on Jesse Lovelock and The Velvet Voices, you’ll likely rear back in surprise, take a quick breath of delight and then squint at the album’s release date. Yep, 2025, not circa 1955 or ’62 or whatever year you were predicting. Everybody, we have a time-traveler in our midst — his name is Jesse Lovelock.

If you’re a die-hard fan of modern country music looking for more of what you like, this album won’t be that particular cup of cowboy coffee. But whatever your opinions of country music, you’ll probably still be compelled and charmed by Jesse Lovelock and The Velvet Voices. It honestly feels like these songs have been around for decades. I can imagine them playing overhead at The Village Vintage Interiors as I browse the sundry treasures. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say I’ve heard this music before.

The opening track, “Misty Blue,” immediately drops the listener into a warm and familiar ambience, backed by the ’50s-style chorus of “Velvet Voices.” The Voices, combined with the rolling beat, reminded me of “Put Your Head On My Shoulder” by Paul Anka, but with an added campfire twang. After listening to this song, I sat back comfortably and settled in for a musical journey.

The careful craft that went into this album must be why it feels like it was plucked from the dust of decades past. Whatever Lovelock is doing with his audio production and microphones, it’s amazing. All of the sound has a fuzzy crackle that coats the music, lending Lovelock’s voice a quality reminiscent of the old greats of his genre.

“Singin’ The Blues” brought in piano and more twang, cementing the blues layer of the album. “Many Tears To Fall” continues the album’s use of swaying 6/8, accentuating it with a cascading melody. In “Crazy Love,” the piano was surprisingly clear, plinking on the surface while Lovelock and the Velvet Voices sang in the record fuzz below the water.

The album has classic themes of traveling, particularly accentuated by “Long Gone Train” and “As I Ride Away.” The latter turns minor, weaving thick strands of blues into the music with a call and response: “This simple spark / this stranger’s smile / warms my heart.” The singer is riding the rails, sojourning under stars. If any of you are planning any camping trips, this is the album to take with you so you’ll feel like a rugged traveler longing to rest your weary bones by the fire.

“Traveling Blues” continued this theme. It’s achingly slow, and Lovelock even brought out the cowboy yodel for it, which made it stand out from the other tracks. Every song has its distinctions as they keep to the carefully crafted style, but I think a little more variation might have helped each song shine more memorably on its own. As the album stands, when listened to in one sitting, it’s an immersive and dreamy experience that takes the listener back in time.

I’m so impressed by Lovelock’s ability to conjure up the atmosphere, musicality and heart of his classic country roots. Jesse Lovelock and The Velvet Voices is warm, earnest and authentic in all but the year it was made. It’s a reminder to slow down in the fast-paced modern world and let a bit of familiar comfort ground you. —Rebekah Bowman

Read more by Rebekah Bowman:
Rewriting the Rules of Feminine Rage: Bree Despain’s The Killing Rules
Review: Rowena Wise — Bad Things Feel Good*

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