Jessica Callahan

"Jessica Callahan wins Best Pop Rock Artist of 2006 at the anual Orange County Music Awards. She has been nominated as Best Female Artist for the previous 2 years." - Orange county Register

You’d like to think talent always rises to the top. You’d like to think that, and then you watch talentless trailer trash sell millions of records by hiring good producers and behaving badly enough to make headlines, and you wonder. You wonder if a pure talent like Jessica Callahan can possibly rise above the walking disaster that is the music industry today.
Callahan is a piano-playing singer-songwriter who occupies the sweet spot between Michelle Branch and Carole King, building punchy full-band arrangements around her piano-driven singer-songwriter tunes. And quite a band it is, including on this disc Mario Calire of the Wallflowers and a bevy of session aces like Matt Chamberlain, Grecco Burrato and Tim Pierce.
It’s not hard to see why they’d sign on for this gig. Callahan has a strong, rich voice and a real gift for melodic hooks -- such a gift that you can see where there would be a temptation to slick this music up and over-produce it. Thankfully, that’s not the case here, as the arrangements for the most part stay airy and open and organic-sounding.
Opener “Better Change” kicks off with just Callahan and her piano building momentum until the band comes in at the chorus and pushes the song to the next level. It’s a well-crafted track with some bite to the lyrics, and feels like a natural single. “Close Moment” starts out more contemplative but blossoms nicely. “Superhero” shines, exploring a rockier, more guitar-focused sound that plays up Callahan’s similarities with Branch – a compliment in my book. “Get Out Of California” has a rolling Joni/Carole feel that’s a smooth fit for her voice; on “None Of This” she adds some soft blues guitar licks and background vocals to the mix and it only gets tastier. Strings are the perfect complement to her piano-playing on the thoughtful ballad “Don’t Want,” while “Ever Since I” strips things down all the way to equally pleasing effect…
….This is a promising debut that should position Callahan to receive the attention she deserves -- strong songs sung with genuine passion and supported by a band of seasoned pros.
Jason Warburg- Daily Vault
11/12/2007
Rating: B+

- The Daily Vault

Jessica Callahan won "Best Female" artist for 2007 @ Orange County Music Awards. She then rocked the stage with a performance with her band and played "City Streets" that won her the Best Pop artist 2006. She was also nominated for Best Song and Best Live Female... - Orange county press

Jessica Callahan now available on iTunes - Jessica Callahan's Myspace

....Jessica Callahan – A young composer, singer, songwriter that plays the keyboards. Blind from birth, she offers a unique pop-rock sound with her all original music. The recording industry immediately started courting this unknown talent. From Myspace to your radio almost overnight! Tracks like “City Streets” and “Get Out of California” are destined for airplay...... - Ezine Articles

Jessica Callahan recieved an official nomination from 17th annual LAMA for Pop Female Vocal for her song "City Streets".
This red carpet event will take place November 29th 2007 at Music Box Theature at 6126 Hollywood Blvd, L.A. Ca 90028

http://www.losangelesmusicawards.net/ - Los Angeles Music Awards

"..Powerful voice, music is skillfully crafted, lyrics well written. Memorable "hook". The spirited vocal sells the song with conviction. Fantastic job of varying the lyrical density and melodic phrasing between sections. The playing is rock solid, production and engineering clean and professional...You sound great!"
TAXI
- TAXI

Quote: "Jessica Callahan writes brutally honest music. She also performs beautifully honest music, too."

By Dan MacIntosh

Jessica Callahan looks all flower-like against the green background of her self-titled CD. And while she also has a pretty voice, she is by no means a pushover. When Callahan announces: “Smelled like cigarettes at half past two, when I came home I was thinkin’ of you,” during “Worth It”, you know she’s done her share of clubbing.

You may not guess it from looking at her CD photo, but Callahan has been blind since birth. You also wouldn’t assume this mature singer/songwriter is only 21 years old. Although Callahan’s piano dominates this CD’s instrumental bed, the sound of these songs varies significantly from track to track. The opener, “Better Change," is driving, whereas the follow-up, “Close Moments," is far more gentle. Then there’s the semi-reggae feel of “Superhero," which features some stretchy bass work by Shawn Davis.

The closer, “Down Beneath The Sky," is particularly notable for its upfront rhythmic work. I like it when Callahan’s aggressive singing is matched to equally aggressive musicianship, exemplified by this CD's final track. Granted, this is not angry, Tori Amos territory, but I’d be happy if Callahan explored a little more of that vitriolic side.

The variety in Callahan’s sound is likely due to the heavyweight studio musicians helping her out. Drummers Mario Calire and Matt Chamberlain list The Wallflowers, Ozomotli, Liz Fair, Van Morrison, Elton John and Fiona Apple on their resumes. Furthermore, Grecco Burrato has also played guitar for Pink and Boys II Men. Another guitarist, Tim Pierce, has played with both Seal and Michael Jackson. And on some of these arrangements, keyboardist Patrick (Ashlee Simpson, Melissa Etheridge, Jewell) Warren lends a hand. Obviously this is a professionally produced independent project. Lynne Earls produced, engineered and mixed this disc, but Callahan wrote all the songs.

Although these talented players bring much to the table, the stripped down “Ever Since I” showcases Callahan’s melodic talents best. With little more than her yearning voice and piano, it’s a beautifully meditative piece.

Lyrically, Callahan focuses on big girl, relationship songs. A longing to be patient and find out what a relationship might eventually become is expressed eloquently with “Don’t Want." And while she calls Orange County, CA home, this golden state oftentimes gets the harsh end of her wrath. This disappointment in her home state shows up most clearly on “Get Out Of California” and “City Streets."

Jessica Callahan writes brutally honest music. She also performs beautifully honest music, too. And sometimes it’s difficult to reconcile all the pained expressions with these nicely arranged melodies. But contradictions, even slight ones such as these, are sometimes what make fine art so compelling.
- Indie-Music.com