Jessie Murph at Fine Line (03/12/02023)

I read a review of Jessie Murph’s sold out show at The Basement East in Nashville. It seems there were not enough tickets even for those who traveled seven hours to see her. For the Fine Line show I decided to show up early, but an hour before wasn’t nearly enough as the line snaked around the corner. Needless to say the venue was packed before I got through the doors.

Jessie Murph is only eighteen and already has record contract with Columbia records and a global stream of 115 million for her hit song “Always Been You.” She maybe young and petite, but as she said in an interview with Flaunt Magazine: “I’m an old soul for sure. And determined, very determined.”

Jessie’s older brother, Garrett Murph, opened the evening with a set on his acoustic guitar. I imagine he’s not much older than his sibling but his songs consisted of mix of blues and country ballads as if he were sitting on the front porch, having a few beers while playing the guitar with a subtle touch and a laid-back croon of a much older musician.

Garrett told a nice story – a memory really – of him and Jessie in their grandmother’s bathroom. He remembered the ceilings being really high; he remembered playing the ukulele because his fingers were still too small to fret a guitar, and he remembered sitting on the tub was his sister singing away.

Jessie Murph has a powerful and dynamic voice, but what is surprising is the frank and sometimes explicit lyrics. Should it be, she has asked? After all, male rappers can lace their lyrics with profanity? Why not a high school girl from a small town in Alabama?

Jessie is making a maiden tour with her debut album Drowning. On the cover is Jessie behind a fishbowl with one omniscient eye looking at those who are looking at her as if to say: “I can see right through you.”

When Jessie took the stage all the phones were out to record “I Would’ve” followed by “Drunk in the Bathtub” and “About You” a song that exemplifies how a woman done wrong is not going to sit back and take it.

You could tell that Jessie’s music carried deep affection with the mostly female audience as they sang along to “While You’re At It” and “If I Died Last Night.” They even persuaded Jessie to sing a song that wasn’t even on the setlist “Sobriety” for they wanted to sing some more.

Jessie then had the main lights turned up and then switched into Oprah by asking by a show of hands how many in the audience did damage to their boyfriend’s cars after “… their boyfriends did them dirt.”

Then the audience became the participants as Jessie went throughout the crowd to hear some outrageous and hilarious tales. It was a bonding moment between the singer and her fans which surely guaranteed they will be there again when Jessie returns.

Note: Original opener on the bill, Charlieonnafriday, did not appear. No reasons were given.