It's a strong, confident and simply that much better Jessica Rhaye...on her new disc, Good Things. Over the course of her career she's patiently moved forward with each recording...and with all her options and education. Her debut got her noticed...still a Saint John area kid...but with obvious talent. Education came next...a move to Fredericton and a parallel career learning graphic design. She's already developed quite a skill and business with her own company...I see her work on lots of CD covers for instance. She waited several years for her second disc...Short Stories came out in 2006...and she'd learned a lot more about songwriting. Working with Saint John native and world-wide hitmaker Ken Tobias, she found out how to craft her songs into polished pieces, the nuts and bolts of the three minute quality tune.

Now comes Good Things, and it's another leap ahead. This time, the writing is even better...the melodies leap out, the words work all the time...there are no clunky phrases..she's really learned the "simple is better' rule and how to pare away the unnecessary. That's the skill that makes that most familiar of songs, the love song....which of course is also the most common song......seem fresh. You're not going to listen to this and go...oh, there's another love song. Because when Jessica does 'em...they're new and fresh, in her style. Now, she does have a few collaborators in this process. There are three more from the Tobias co-writing sessions...Maritime favourites Dave Gunning and MIR's Asif Illyas each chime in on one...and the great Ron Sexsmith worked on the lead song and title cut, Good Things, which is probably the best production on the disc. But there are others on the disc that Jessica wrote herself..and they are of equal quality. She's got the material already...and has developed the ability to work in tandem with other writers to make a better song out of an idea. This is a good thing.

Rhaye's voice sounds stronger too...always a strong singer...this time out...she's being more forceful with it, putting more emotion into it. It's recorded warmer and louder in the mix than in the past...and that will help her...get her good attention from people hearing her for the first time. But it's the songwriting that should bring folks back...that's what's going to keep her in the game a long time.

So, it's launch week for the disc...that means some shows around to help celebrate the new CD. Thursday night, the hometown gig at the Blue Olive in Saint John at 8 PM. Saturday night, it's the Arena Complex Theatre in Saint Andrews...Sunday you can come to The Charlotte Street Art Centre in Fredericton. Now, let me prove to you that Jessica Rhaye can write her own stuff...as well as collaborate with the stars.