SHOW REVIEWS

Show Review – Jillette Johnson

Jake Craney
Latest posts by Jake Craney (see all)

To be completely honest, I wasn’t as excited to see live music tonight as I usually am. I had seen three shows in the last three nights, hadn’t slept well, and a drive into Hollywood at 5:30 would certainly take me an hour and a half or more. But as soon as Jillette Johnson stepped on stage and began playing, I was immediately glad I made the trek.

The NYC singer/songwriter has an incredibly beautiful and powerful voice to accompany her emotional and talented songwriting. The Daily Front Row summed her up best, saying “…she’s the best of what Fiona Apple, Tori Amos, and Adele have to offer. Melancholy and powerful, poetic and whimsical, her voice is a powerhouse.”

Johnson was all of those things and more. She was powerful and deep, all the while keeping things light, informing the crowd when she was about to sing a song about “stalking someone” or simply “a pair of red leather pants.” Equally impressive was the passion in her performance. She commanded her set like she was playing a huge arena, when in fact she was on stage in front of an intimate (nice word for tiny) crowd. This just made me admire her more. Some musicians would be a little disheartened to be performing in front of a small crowd. If she was–Johnson didn’t show it. Her vocal performance and range was as impressive as I’ve seen. She is truly a powerhouse singer.

From her emotional hit “Cameron” to the fantastic song “Peter Pan” to the stunning rendition of Radiohead’s “Creep,” Jillette was simply fantastic. I could go on and on, but I’ll let her music say all that needs to be said. Check out the video for “Cameron” below, grab her album Water In A Whale right here, and when she performs near you, DO NOT miss the chance to see her.

Jillette Johnson – “Cameron”