Back in the 90’s, in my carefree – lucid days of my early 20’s I must have heard this song 50 times. Here, Joshua Kadison sounded to me a lot like Elton John and akin to John’s early 80’s repertoire, Jessie seemed to belong on the classic record Too Low for Zero. Just now I read on Wikipedia that his musical style and voice are compared to Elton John.
I’ll admit the song hasn’t aged so well to my ears, but it harks back to these breezier times, and I still enjoy hearing it. Kadison is perhaps best known for the top 40 hits Jessie and Beautiful in My Eyes from his debut album Painted Desert Serenade.
From a phone booth in Vegas
Jessie calls at five a.m
To tell me how she’s tired
Of all of them
She says
“Baby, I’ve been thinking
‘Bout a trailer by the sea
We could go to Mexico
You, the cat and me
We’ll drink tequila
And look for seashells
Now doesn’t that sound sweet”
Oh Jessie, you always do this
Every time I get back on my feet
Jessie, paint your pictures
About how it’s gonna be
The single Jessie was released on Painted Desert Serenade and was certified Gold in the United States in August 1994, and later Platinum. Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Bryan Buss called it “chock full of odes to finding romance, longing for romance and losing romance“.
Wikipedia states that Kadison has a huge following in Germany where he signed a deal with EMI Germany and his album Vanishing America was released. It dealt with his disillusionment with the lost values of America and was a collection of songs that told stories about people not realizing their own beauty and full potential. Ironically, the album was never distributed in the United States.
Reference:
1. Joshua Kadison – Wikipedia
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
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