Musical genres and boxes be damned. Jessie James is going to cross all lines and blow through all paradigms on her journey through her music career."I've known this is what I was supposed to do since I was 10," says Jessie James, who cites her influences as LeAnn Rimes, Christina Aguilera, Janis Joplin and Bobbie Gentry. "I'm just anxious to get out there and let the world hear me. I'm just so excited. I've got a lot to say and I'm more than ready for this."
With a message of female empowerment and refusing to play the victim, Jessie's first single, "Wanted," which she co-wrote with American Idol judge and hit songwriter Kara DioGuardi as well as Mitch Allen and David Hodges, shows off her intensity in a full-throttle dance-rock scorcher that catches and won't let go."My mother taught me when I was growing up not to let myself be treated badly," she insists. "I think it's a real good message to young girls out there… don't wait around for a guy to change. Just get out."I just don't like doing what I'm told. That's what I love about rock. Rockers are just so ballsy. They do whatever they want on-stage, which I really admire. You still have to be a lady, but I don't think there's anything wrong with wanting to be like that. I feel like, in another world, I could have been in a '90s rock band."
But she’s can also be all country. On songs like the twangy "My Cowboy," co-written with Mercury Nashville artist Jamey Johnson and Randy Houser, and the sassy "Blue Jeans," with its hip-hop swagger and tribal percussion--featured on the soundtrack of the hit Touchstone film version of Sophie Kinsella's best-seller Confessions of a Shopaholic- Jessie shows she's not afraid to strut her sexuality, either. She points out that lyrics like "Gimme some like I never had" ("Wanted") and "Saddle up and take me for a little ride" ("My Cowboy") may be just what they say, suggesting the latter could well be about hopping on a horse."You can take it anyway you want," she laughs. "There's nothing wrong with being a little sexy, if you do it with class. I'm not going out there taking my clothes off, but I do think it's empowering to feel comfortable with your sexuality...within reason, of course.
"Working with producers like Julian Bunetta (Hillary Duff, Sean Kingston), John Rich, and Mitch Allen, James' debut album shows off a variety of musical styles and sounds, from the arena-rock belt of "Wanted," the mix of banjo, fiddle and rock guitar in "My Cowboy" and the hip-hop beat and playful schoolyard rhyming of "Blue Jeans" to the torch song ballad "Guilty" and the stark, stripped-down, soulful blues intimacy of "Liar."
"When I first tried to get a record deal, my real problem was, I couldn't put my music in a single box," she explains. "I just loved everything. That was part of me growing up in so many different places. I didn't want to limit myself to just one kind of music. I just decided, why not just do all of it, and somehow blend it together. And I think I've done that. There are all different types of music, beats and instrumentation."
Check out her new decidedly upbeat rocker music video, “Wanted,” below… and then catch our interview with the beautiful Ms. James afterwards.
Wanted
That Nashville Sound- What brought you to music in the first place?
Jessie James- I was born doing it, I have always been a singer, and always loved music.
TNS- Describe your music- what's the mission behind the music?
JJ- My music is pop with a twang!! I am on pop radio and i hope to cross over to country because I love both genres so much! My goal is to play at the MTV awards, and the Opry!
TNS- Your music crosses lots of boundaries between country, pop and rock- where do you see it landing on radio?
JJ- Both, Pop for right now, then crossing over later... I want my music to reach as many people as possible. I write both styles, so it would be really hard to stick to one genre. I am both. So I plan on sharing my music with both.
TNS- What kind of music are you listening to? What's in your iPod?
JJ- I love Shelby Lynne, she is my girl! I love her Dusty Springfield tribute album, " Just a little lovin"...its a masterpiece.
TNS- What's next for you? Where do you hope to be career-wise a couple years from now?
JJ- I will be touring, doing more promo. I'm doing promo right now for Steve Madden and Sephora makeup. Also some dates with David Cook. I hope in a couple years that I am headlining my own tour. My dream is to play music for the rest of my life.
TNS- Quick questions (which do you like best?): Opry or Opera?
JJ- Opry
TNS- Record stores or downloads?
JJ- Record stores.
TNS- Fine dining or southern cooking?
JJ- Southern cooking all the way.
TNS- Baseball or fishing?
JJ- Fishing.
TNS- West Coast or East Coast?
JJ- East.
TNS- Nickname for your guitar(s)?
JJ- My partner in crime.
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