Draw Them Near

Draw Them Near

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Jess Klein has a few things going for her that might help her emerge from the glut of young, female singer-songwriters flooding an already saturated market. For one, her little-girl voice has an engaging edge to it, much like Julie Miller or Stevie Nicks; for another, her record sports a real band sound that rocks harder than your typical folkie fare. On the down side, she may sound a bit too much like the aforementioned singers to carve out her own recognizable place. Then there are her tunes, dealing with the usual fare of love and loss, minus the powerful melding of lyrics and melody that have made Nicks a superstar and Miller a rising one. Unfortunately, songs such as "I Tried," "I'll Be Alright," and "Love Is Where You Find It" reveal nothing deeper than the clichés of their titles. Only "Ireland" escapes the vagueness that plagues the others, a vagueness that neither Klein's vocal talents nor her muscular band can focus. --Michael Ross

Tracks:

Little White Dove
Goodbye, Goodbye
Ireland
Cloud Song
Love Is Where You Find It
Song For An Angel
I Tried
I Sure Would
Springtime
Open Me
I'll Be Alright
Draw Them Near

Amazon.com

Jess Klein has a few things going for her that might help her emerge from the glut of young, female singer-songwriters flooding an already saturated market. For one, her little-girl voice has an engaging edge to it, much like Julie Miller or Stevie Nicks; for another, her record sports a real band sound that rocks harder than your typical folkie fare. On the down side, she may sound a bit too much like the aforementioned singers to carve out her own recognizable place. Then there are her tunes, dealing with the usual fare of love and loss, minus the powerful melding of lyrics and melody that have made Nicks a superstar and Miller a rising one. Unfortunately, songs such as "I Tried," "I'll Be Alright," and "Love Is Where You Find It" reveal nothing deeper than the clichés of their titles. Only "Ireland" escapes the vagueness that plagues the others, a vagueness that neither Klein's vocal talents nor her muscular band can focus. --Michael Ross

Customer Reviews:

Love it!.......2002-10-16

This CD is great for an emotional girl's nite in. Listening to Jess makes you feel like your with a friend. You just need to listen.

Wonderfully eclectic; NOT the typical female-songwriter.......2002-06-20

Imagine a female songwriter with a beautiful voice who sings songs that are NOT insipid and tedious, whose music has a touch of the traditional, and who is sincere enough that you'd want to sing her songs to someone you love, or listen to them frequently when alone. Work that comes without pretense of simplicity or depth, and thus achieves both. This describes Jess Klein's _Draw Them Near_, with some ommissions; her work has not yet acquired the cookie-cutter hollywood gloss--which means it's more raw, and certainly more genuine for the lack. For this price, the CD's a better bargain than any you've bought in the last few years. I do urge giving it a try.

Too generic sounding........2001-12-14

I agree with Michael Ross, the Amazon.com reviewer, specifically the part where he says that "songs such as 'I Tried,' 'I'll Be Alright,' and 'Love Is Where You Find It' reveal nothing deeper than the clichés of their titles." Very cliche', very generic sounding; a girl with a nice voice goes into the studio to record a very studio-sounding CD with studio musicians. Bleh. At first I was attracted to it because she does have a pretty voice (it kind of reminds me of Suzannah Hoffs from The Bangles--that's who I thought I was listening to at first), but alas, that's all that's there--a pretty voice. This album is great if you like pretty little songs with no depth to them. If you want to listen to something more meaningful than that, look elsewhere.

Buy This CD.......2001-09-20

The airwaves seem to be full of female singer songwriters. You name the music from toddler pop to gangsa rap and women are finally getting the chance to show the world what they can do. And mostly what they can do is put out the same tired self absorbed junk that their male counterparts have been feeding us for decades now. And then there is Jess. Sweet voice, but with an edge that cuts into you. Lyrics that reveal, hide, allow the voice to play in the music. And thankfully some songs that are just fun, raw little tunes that are not meant to change the world or let us all know that she is a deep thinker who wants to save the world. Jess Klein doesn't take us or herself too seriously and I love her and her songs for that. Some music just makes you smile and smiling is good enough for me.

Draw her near.......2001-07-27

Jess Klein is great live in an intimate venue like CSPS in Cedar Rapids. I've seen her twice there and this New Yorker/now Bostonian is maturing into her own sophisticated, varied brand of music. Draw Them Near is a great little listen.