…honky-tonks and strangers, VIDEO: JAIME WYATT – Neon Cross [Magdalena Wosinska, director]
Jaime Wyatt – Neon Cross is available at New West Records.
by Walter Price
In a year of unbelievable uneasiness, 2020 has also been one of the best years for new music. From Run The Jewels (RTJ4), Joe Strouzer (May), Party Nails (You Don’t Have To Go Home But You Can’t Stay Here), to name just a few. And to add to this list, the stunning new album from honky-tonk darling Jaime Wyatt, ‘Neon Cross’.
With thoughts of Tanya Tucker, Juice Newton, Riatt, Jones, and stops in-between oozing from each of the 11 deeply personal and heartache laden tracks, this album is, dare I say, is just a notch above this singer-songwriter’s masterclass album, ‘Felony Blues’ (2017).
Wyatt hasn’t shied away from her trials and tribulations, her life, and career’s twisty paths. Jail-time, addiction, sexuality, and/or dealing with the music biz, she’s been there done that and repeat. And all of these realities play out on this cinematic set that not only entertains but educates, inspires and stirs the soul.
Although tracks like “Sweet Mess”, “Just A Woman” (w/ Jessi Colter), “Mercy” and “Demon Tied To A Chair In My Brain” are all worth the price of admission, its the title track that sticks to my ribs. A track that reckons with the nagging falsehoods and idiosyncrasies of fame. And there’s a real LA vibe to this modern dive-bar beauty. The emphasis on pivotal words, Wyatt’s slow draw and the realities of the lyrics sink in, deep.
The video, directed by Magdalena Wosinska and shot in the legendary Jumbo’s Clown Room, has Wyatt living several personalities simultaneously (à la Alanis Morissette’s Ironic). Memories being played out for the world to feel. (My personal fave highlight in this easter egg heavy film is the cameo from Urban Saddles. An outfit that does a ton of great community work, check em out and support.)
‘Neon Cross’, produced by Shooter Jennings, is available now via New West Records.
NEON CROSS
Neon Cross album
Produced by Shooter Jennings
Recorded and Mixed by Mark Rains at Station House Studios in Los Angeles, CA
Additional Editing by David Spreng
Mastered by Pete Lyman at Infrasonic Sound in Nashville, TN
Jaime Wyatt – Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, and Piano on “Sweet Mess”
Neal Casal – Guitar, Harmonica, and Wurlitzer
Shooter Jennings – Piano, Additional Keys, and Background Vocals
John Schreffler, Jr. – Pedal Steel, Additional Guitars and Background Vocals
Ted Russell Kamp – Bass
Jamie Douglass – Drums and Percussion
Neon Cross video
Directed by Magdalena Wosinska
Produced by Chloe Siegel & Film Produkcja
Edited by Guangwei Du
DP – Łukasz Dziedzic
1st AC – Will Randall
2nd AC – Chris Brooks
Gaffer – Ryan Emanuel
Key Grip/Gimbal Operator – András Roder
Costume Design – Jazmin Almario
Hair/Makeup – Adrienne Herbert
G&E – Bryan Coleman & Neelix Ramirex
“If there’s one lesson to be gleaned from Neon Cross, the newest release from singer, songwriter, and guitarist Jaime Wyatt, it’s that life, in all its inherent messiness, goes on. And through it all—good times and bad, triumph and trouble, dreaming and desperation—Wyatt continues, to borrow the title of one of her new songs, just L I V I N.” – bio