The promising debut album by singer/songwriter Jess Klein
Influenced by Ani DiFranco and the Indigo Girls as well as Stevie Nicks, Jess Klein shows real promise on her debut album Wishes Well Disguised. That's an interesting combination of influences, to be sure--not many artists who have been influenced by Nicks could also claim DiFranco and the Indigo Girls as prominent influences. But such comparisons shouldn't obscure the fact that the singer/songwriter/acoustic guitarist is recognizable herself, or that introspective originals like "Favorite Shade of Blue," "Pressure" and "The Cloud Song" have a very personal quality. While Klein's voice does bear some resemblance to Nicks, no one will mistake Wishes Well Disguised for a Nicks album--Klein is more consistently folk-minded than Nicks, and the folk/pop/rock blend that she provides on this CD is much earthier than the slick, glossy pop-rock that has dominated Nicks' solo efforts. This satisfying debut indicated that Klein, who had been creating a buzz on the Boston folk circuit, was well deserving of national attention.