The Electric Hearts

“It’s refreshing to hear a different and almost innovative take on rock and roll.” - Blues Rock Review

(The Life and Death of Fritz Pepper) “It’s a bit of a stray from their past self-titled release, but continues to push sonic boundaries for the Nashville group.” - No Country For New Nashville

“Jessica Breanne’s vocals…(are) passionate, honest and definitively an old soul’s voice. (The Band) They are raw, simple, passionate-they know how to play music that surrounds and complements.” - Etalent showcase

“Jessica Breanne’s vocals…(are) passionate, honest and definitively an old soul’s voice. (The Band) They are raw, simple, passionate-they know how to play music that surrounds and complements.” - Etalent showcase

What with The White Stripes calling it quits, the state of blues-oriented rock music today is more dire than ever. Who's going to carry the torch for us? Maylene & The Sons of Disaster are too inconsistent. Alabama Shakes are excellent, but I doubt they have an interest in rock as much as they do blues. To be the next genre torchbearer, we need someone with a howling banshee of a voice and the rhythm section to back them up, with all the genre trimmings and a nice sprinkle of hipness on top.

Jessica Breanne & The Electric Hearts is that band. The Nashville-based group recently released it's debut self-titled album, and it's one of the best rock releases I've heard this year. Jessica Breanne is a young wailer of a vocalist that reminds me of Adele. Here's the thing, though: Where Adele's strength lies more in her incredibly beautiful voice than her mediocre songcraft, Breanne has the songwriting ability to match her voice. Take southern-rock stomper "Help Me", for example. Lyrically, she covers the same genre tropes, howling, "Ever since I can remember/they've been telling me what I need/work hard 'till the day I day/so hard it make my fingers blee-heed". Breanne is very lucky that she has The Electric Hearts to help her carry the song. The rhythm section is incredibly tight, and the guitar work is coated in more fuzz than a deep-fried snickers bar from the county fair. It all culminates in a pretty gnarly solo that only reaffirms Jessica Breanne & The Electric Hearts' commitment to powerful blues-rock with a modern twist.

Nowhere is that modern twist more apparent than on their cover of Bon Iver's Flume. The band does my 2nd-favorite Bon Iver song justice by taking a rocksteady kick, adding some full, majestic horns, and linguini guitars to round out the whole deal. Breanne never oversings, staying true to the emotion of the original song, and wisely adds a chorus of Jessicas to help her out on the chorus. When the track explodes into hammond organ and guitar heroics on the final chorus, all doubt becomes erased that Jessica Breanne & The Electric Hearts aren't a band to watch. More like this, please. - The Brown Noise

What with The White Stripes calling it quits, the state of blues-oriented rock music today is more dire than ever. Who's going to carry the torch for us? Maylene & The Sons of Disaster are too inconsistent. Alabama Shakes are excellent, but I doubt they have an interest in rock as much as they do blues. To be the next genre torchbearer, we need someone with a howling banshee of a voice and the rhythm section to back them up, with all the genre trimmings and a nice sprinkle of hipness on top.

Jessica Breanne & The Electric Hearts is that band. The Nashville-based group recently released it's debut self-titled album, and it's one of the best rock releases I've heard this year. Jessica Breanne is a young wailer of a vocalist that reminds me of Adele. Here's the thing, though: Where Adele's strength lies more in her incredibly beautiful voice than her mediocre songcraft, Breanne has the songwriting ability to match her voice. Take southern-rock stomper "Help Me", for example. Lyrically, she covers the same genre tropes, howling, "Ever since I can remember/they've been telling me what I need/work hard 'till the day I day/so hard it make my fingers blee-heed". Breanne is very lucky that she has The Electric Hearts to help her carry the song. The rhythm section is incredibly tight, and the guitar work is coated in more fuzz than a deep-fried snickers bar from the county fair. It all culminates in a pretty gnarly solo that only reaffirms Jessica Breanne & The Electric Hearts' commitment to powerful blues-rock with a modern twist.

Nowhere is that modern twist more apparent than on their cover of Bon Iver's Flume. The band does my 2nd-favorite Bon Iver song justice by taking a rocksteady kick, adding some full, majestic horns, and linguini guitars to round out the whole deal. Breanne never oversings, staying true to the emotion of the original song, and wisely adds a chorus of Jessicas to help her out on the chorus. When the track explodes into hammond organ and guitar heroics on the final chorus, all doubt becomes erased that Jessica Breanne & The Electric Hearts aren't a band to watch. More like this, please. - The Brown Noise

Jessica Breanne & The Electric Hearts released their self-titled debut album in late August of this year. Hailing from Nashville, Tenn., the group puts out a soulful rock sound reminiscent of classic blues-rock from the 1960s. The group has opened for Robert Randolph & The Family Band, The Wooten Brothers and Gary Clark, Jr. Their debut album contains some catchy tracks and shows potential for a bright future.

Most notable about Jessica Breanne & The Electric Hearts’ sound is Breanne herself. She leads the tracks with a raw, husky voice that registers somewhere between the late-great Janis Joplin and current pop sensation Adele. The vocals are no doubt the strongest point of the band’s sound, although The Electric Hearts provide solid accompaniment with catchy blues riffs and occasional horns. The sound on the first three tracks, “How Dare You,” “Be Mine” and “Shame, Shame” is simple, yet pleasant. Calling on the soul power of classic rock past, Breanne truly shines here, her voice captivating and the beat tempting.

It’s a solid reiteration of an old sound, but at times can be a bit repetitive. By the end of the album, the spirit and energy of the first tracks has waned and it delves perhaps too far into the sound of the ‘60s. “Please,” in particular goes this route, sounding too much like a soundtrack to a cheesy prom scene in a movie. And while the guitar riffs lend themselves well to a head bob, there’s nothing new at the tail end of the album and it becomes easy to lose interest.

On the whole, this is a fairly strong presentation for a debut album. While the sound falls into a rut by the end tracks, there is definitely potential for this group. Breanne’s exemplary vocals and the funky guitar backdrop are addictive enough to draw attention.

The Review: 7.5/10

Can’t Miss Tracks

- How Dare You
- Be Mine
- Shame, Shame

The Big Hit

- How Dare You - Blues Rock Review