For those of us who first saw her back in her days in Blues on Purpose as a horn player behind Mary Bridget Davis, Kristine Jackson’s first CD of mostly original material “Candy Store” is just another step in the evolution of someone on her way to big things. From horn player to guitarist to vocalist to songwriter to performer of her own material to fronting several different versions of her own band, each step she has taken has been in the right direction.
“Candy Store” features nine Jackson originals along with Tom Waits’ “Way Down in the Hole,” acoustic blues numbers she has been playing in her shows for the last several years. The album is dedicated to her cousin Liz Bohman Szczepanski, who died of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma last year at the age of 27. Kristine will be playing a bunch of CD release dates this weekend in support of “Candy Store,” including Thursday, February 25 at Fat Fish Blue from 7-9, then at the Parkview from 10-12; Seekers Coffee Shop in Middleburg Heights on Friday, February 26; and at West Park Station on Saturday, February 27 from 6-9.
Jackson has always worn her emotions on her sleeve and in her songs, and “Candy Store” is filled with songs of hurt, forgiveness, and recovery. Amongst the highlights on the disk are the title tune, “Baby Girl,” “Hammer Mill 5,”“Wishing Well,” and “What Moves You.” She has really grown into a very good singer/songwriter.
Hopefully the next project in her growth as an artist will be done with a full blues band behind her. For more about Kristine Jackson, her music, and her work with the Kicking the Cancer Blues Foundation, visit www.kjblues.com.
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