Country songsmith Jill Jackson’s never been afraid to change direction – and she’s set to shake things up again.
The Paisley-born performer started her recording career two decades ago as the lead singer of pop rock outfit Speedway, before finding her true voice in Americana.
Bluegrass in her blood
It’s the bluegrass lifeblood that runs deepest in Jackson’s veins, and now ahead of studio work on her sixth solo album she’s planning to surprise people again.
Speaking after completing a series of demo recordings for the upcoming opus at her home studio, she says: “It’s always great fun getting things together and seeing how they’re going to sound.
“I recently did a wee private show for Kickstarters from the last album and I was going into how each song was written, how it was demoed – stuff like that – and I’m hoping from the feedback that people found it interesting to see the process.”
Yours Aye
Jill, who self-released her Yours Aye CD last May, laughs: “I sometimes get a bit carried away and have a billion things the songs don’t need. I’ll maybe keep my demos in a vault until I’m not here, like Prince did – then I can’t get embarrassed about it.”
The singer is due to record her album with her drummer Paul Crawford, with a new slant on her trademark melodic sound in prospect.
Jackson, 44, explains: “It’ll always be very heavily influenced by what I love most – country, bluegrass and Americana – and I do love the sound of the two most recent Brandi Carlile records. They’re very crisp and polished, but they’ve still got a bit of rawness to them.
“The biggest thing for me on every album is how the vocal sounds. The next one’s not just going to be more of Yours Aye, it’ll maybe be a tiny bit cooler.
“I still want to use acoustic instruments – guitar, mandolins, banjos – but maybe with a wee twist. It’ll still be what I love – beautifully recorded music, lovely harmonies and things like that – but I think everything has to evolve and change slightly.
“There will be a wee bit of experimenting, but it’s not going to be like dance or anything like that,” she chuckles.
Rab Noakes tribute
In a busy 2023 so far, Jill was proud to pay tribute at Celtic Connections to her friend and collaborator Rab Noakes, who died suddenly in November aged 75.
She starts a short run of one-woman gigs in Perthshire on Saturday – a swift return to Crieff after supporting Eddi Reader there in November.
She says: “The great thing about doing shows on your own is it keeps you at the top of your game – there’s no room for mistakes. I love that pressure, but it’s quite frightening as well.”
Further ahead, Jill’s touring with ex-Bible frontman Boo Hewerdine in May. “He produced my last two albums, and I’ve been out on three tours with Eddi and Boo plays in her band, so I’ve spent a lot of time with him,” she adds.
“Boo’s got a unique way with words and melodies, and he completely understands what I’m thinking in terms of the sound I’m after. He’s a very funny guy as well – he’s got a very dry sense of humour that I enjoy a lot.”
Jill Jackson, March 11, strathearnarts.org
Conversation