Jamie Drake - New Girl (2022)

1970's Laurel Canyon meets Rio de Janeiro in Jamie Drake's "NEW GIRL" -- a celebration of joy and hope. Jamie Drake has been a hidden songwriting gem in Los Angeles for over a decade -- collaborating with many great artists along the way. Her last album, 'Everything's Fine,' released on AntiFragile Music in the fall of 2019 and like many other artists, was on a path to success before the pandemic. With cancelled tours and unending stay at home orders, she was unable to celebrate its debut in person.

Luckily, Drake is not one to give up. This June 2022, her love for early 1970s Laurel Canyon folk unexpectedly meets Rio de Janeiro in 'NEW GIRL,' once again displaying her ability to evolve as a dynamic artist in her time. 'NEW GIRL' is a raw and emotionally brave follow up to her last release, with 11 songs primarily recorded in single vocal takes. "I wanted to make an album that was pure and honest, like my musical heroes.. so I kept the vocal takes that expressed my heart the most clearly even if a listener might perceive minor vocal imperfections."

New Girl's bossa influence came as a welcomed surprise to Jamie and was inspired by the incomparable Getz / Gilberto “76” album, which she discovered for the first time in 2020 while living on an airstream property in upper Ojai, California. “I bought a bike, and I listened to that album every day while riding around with my dog Moxie and a JBL speaker in the basket. I got to know those songs really well even though I don’t speak Portuguese. I knew they had gotten into my marrow when I met and wrote 'It’s A New Life’ with Rich Jacques that following May.. I knew immediately that I would make my next album with him too. The feeling of that song was a world I hadn't realized I wanted to live in musically until I heard it come to life in our songwriting session.”

By fall 2021 Rich Jacques came to California to produce the album with Jamie and Austin Myles Grant, fellow Los Angeles artist / multi-instrumentalist. The trio was invited to record at a private residence set in the Santa Monica mountains, seeped in the purity and quiet of nature, where they could fully unfurl and connect musically.

This purity and connection can be felt in the recordings. Drake bravely asks one of the most human questions on this album: 'Is There Something Wrong with Me?' And contemplates that “Life feels undeserving when the whole world is hurting," synthesizing the guilt many felt across the globe in early 2020 with clarity, while still maintaining hope and purpose. These heartfelt tracks are magnificently balanced by other offerings like the comically recorded Bossa-adjacent, 'New Girl,' which depicts Jamie’s gypsy-like childhood with a sparkle in her eye. And then there’s inspirational songs like 'Sing,' which can lift the heart of the listener into a fantasia of imagination and wonder not unlike Julie Andrews. It’s this childlike awe Drake maintains that draws even the youngest of fans to her. Hits like 'Easy Target,' remind us of Carol King and feels as if it were recorded around the same time. The album becomes hypnotic with 'It’s A New Life,' taking us to a world where Drake’s vocals feel like a cross between Astrud Gilberto and Sade. 'Lifted by Love' and 'It’s A Wonderful Life' bring the listener to their heart center where anything is possible and the world is still filled with hope and wonder.. The full length album is melded together by Jamie’s mesmerizing and unique vocal melodies and songwriting approach; bringing a fresh perspective on Folk and Bossa Nova that is uniquely her own.

On the album, Jamie writes
"This record is the result of trusting in life. Being an artist is always a risky choice but it's one that I personally have felt called to whether or not it blesses me with fame or fortune. I know I am here to spread light, and life, and hope to others through my music and the timing couldn't be better.

It's my dream to spread this joy to others in the form of a beautiful vinyl that can be enjoyed physically in their home. This music isn't meant to only be heard on the radio or on DSPs. It is meant to be shared in person and at the very least, with a token of proof that it existed in history as a memory someone can cherish in their personal library.

To celebrate these deeply heartfelt songs of hope and joy I invite you to invest in this crowdfunding campaign for the limited release of NEW GIRL. By investing in this music, you are really investing in yourself; for I trust it will bring you light and love for years to come".