Artist
Jackie Bristow
It’s a long way from Gore, New Zealand to sharing a stage with the likes of Madeleine Peyroux, Art Garfunkel and Daniel Lanois. It all sounds pretty exciting and exotic in former Gore musician Jackie Bristow’s world.
“I’m living the dream, but it’s not an easy dream.” She says. Bristow discovered singing in the St Mary’s School choir when she was 8, and by the time she was 14 she was touring the South Island with her sister, Katrina as the Bristow Sisters. She hasn’t stopped since. After a decade spent touring the United States, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, this singer-songwriter has earned her spurs. Her sweet melodies and hypnotic tones have US critics heralding her as one of New Zealand’s most talented musical exports.
“I’ve done a lot of travelling over the last six or seven years. I love it. I don’t think I’ll ever stop, really,” she says. Jackie moved to Los Angeles in 2005 to record Crazy Love. She immediately surrounded herself with the cream of producers and musicians in the country. Produced by LA-based Grammy Award winning engineer Helik Hadar (mixer/engineer for Madeleine Peyroux, Joni Mitchell, Rufus Wainwright), and Mark Howard (Tom Waits, Lucinda Williams, Marianne Faithfull, Sheryl Crow), Crazy Love, which includes Bristow’s latest single “The World Is Turning”, is a hauntingly beautiful collection of new material showcasing Jackie’s alluring vocal ability and song-writing smarts.
Crazy Love includes Australia's finest guitarist Mark Punch (Renee Geyer) along with international luminaries Larry Klein (bass – Joni Mitchell, Peter Gabriel), Tim Pierce (guitar – Tom Petty, Tracy Chapman, Rod Stewart), Brian MacLeod (drums ˆ Sheryl Crow), Zak Rae (keys – Alanis Morissette, Macy Gray), Jay Bellarose (drummer – Melissa Etheridge, Madeleine Peyroux), Daryl Johnson (bass – Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Emmy Lou Harris), Michael Chaves (guitar – John Mayer, Sarah McLachlan), Larry Goldings (keyboard – James Taylor), Don Heffington (drums – Bob Dylan, Lucinda Williams).
Jackie’s regular Los Angeles band includes Jeff Young, member of Steely Dan’s and Jackson’s Browne’s band, and her drummer Mauricio Lewak also plays with Jackson Browne and Melissa Etheridge. That’s life as a respected musician in Hollywood.
Having first moved to Australia in the mid-nineties, Jackie recorded her debut Thirsty (Mushroom / Liberation). Since then, Bristow has built up an enviable live reputation. She recently performed at the Canadian Music Festival in Toronto, a sell-out Australian tour with Daniel Lanois, and has also performed with Art Garfunkel, Madeleine Peyroux, Jimmy Webb, Renee Geyer, Bic Runga, Mark Seymour, The Whitlams, The Badloves, and British band Capercaille.
2007 has seen Jackie secure exposure for her music in store across 7,000 Starbucks locations in the USA, as well as New Zealand and Australia, and she can be seen on the brand new instore screens throughout New York and Seattle and through the highlighted show Contemporary Grind.
Bristow’s songs have featured on hit Australian television shows The Secret Life Of Us and Home And Away, and in 2004 her song Carry Me Away featured in the Australian movie Go Big.
In 2005, Jackie won the Tourism Australia Song For Australia Competition for their international campaign to promote Australia to the world. Her winning track, This is Australia, was used in consumer and trade promotions worldwide. Back in New Zealand, two tracks from Crazy Love have been play-listed on Air New Zealand flights, and two have featured on the hit New Zealand television show Outrageous Fortune.
Jackie’s album is released in New Zealand and Australia and will be released in the US June 17th, 2008 through BeanBag1 and Burnside Distribution.
“Country crossover chick-lit of the Williams-Morissette-Crow … there are plenty of signature elegant subtleties in her music and the album's sound is immediate and engaging… You'll find beauty right here in Crazy Love.” Southland Times (NZ), March 1st 2008 – Chris Chilton
“Crazy Love is a hypnotizing collection of her original songs that conjure up a seductive world of, well, crazy love and other ethereal things. Bristow is a true original and well worth your attention. Think Joni Mitchell crossed with Dusty Springfield… Not many writers in any musical genres give the attention and depth to lyrics that Bristow obviously does.” – Chet Flippo, Nashville Skyline
“Bristow is a singer-songwriter with a penchant for sweet melodies and hypnotic tones…her style incorporates a bit of both, blending Neil Finn’s airy pop smarts with Patty Griffin’s emotional directness and vibrancy. Bristow’s low soprano is seductive and soulful; she never presses or wails, but instead lets her voice deliver her probing, slice-of-life songs in laced silk.” – Michael Mccall, Nashville Scene, May 10 2007
“Some singers have voices that just hit you right away with the first note. Ms. Bristow, with her soft sensuality, is one such artist. She instantly blankets you with her vibe and gracefully leads you through her thoughtful songs. This is the kind of female singer/songwriter that can win you over quickly, so fans of adult contemporary beware. Ms. Bristow is one talent that could really be headed upward fast”. – Austin Daze, May 10, 2007
Purchase Jackie's music from iTunes or CDBaby, or visit her official site or her MySpace page.
Tempted from ‘Crazy Love’ Play