Jessie Frye - Otherworld
Review by Karl Magi
Overall Album Impressions
Jessie Frye’s Otherworld weaves a mystical, heartbreaking and ultimately hopeful musical tapestry as it unfolds. The album combines her captivating voice and emotionally powerful, image-rich songs—written by her and her creative collaborator Matt Aslanian—with production that is melodic and beautifully textured. I am transported by the depth and touching feelings which the album transmits throughout.
At the heart of Otherworld are Jessie Frye's superb vocal performances. Her voice is light but carries intensely felt expression as it captures the engaging, affecting lyrics which fill the songs. A delicate ache permeates her voice in a way that is hard to resist, yet she can project power as well. As a whole, she gives life and energy to the music which fills the album. I find myself drawn in by the emotive strength her voice exudes.
Another crucial element of Otherworld is the songwriting’s lyrical strength. I enjoy the piercing emotional insight, moments of exultant joy and heart-rending sorrow that fill the songs on this album. The way that Jessie Frye and Matt Aslanian have woven together the many threads of feeling is both touching and powerful. This album contains some of my favorite songwriting of the year thus far.
I also want to comment on the musical backing which Jessie Frye and Matt Aslanian create on Otherworld. It is richly textured and melodic, expressing all of the sensations within the songwriting and vocal performance. The synths are well chosen and combine to draw nuanced and beautiful imagery. The tasteful use of guitar adds another sonic layer and the propulsive low end shapes the music into a cohesive flow.
My Favourite Tracks Analyzed
"Otherworld" comes into being as crushing bass rumbles and serene chimes ripple. The bass becomes an insistent pulse as the bell-like synth rings out with a tender and heartfelt melody. It floats past with diamond light and Jessie Frye’s voice rises with lush expression and delicate feeling, carrying the hopeful melody above the computerized arpeggios that swirl with tranquility.
Jessie Frye’s voice reaches with dreaming emotion and encouragement, carrying me with it as my soul rises. Creaking, undulating bass glides and now the hopeful joy flows from Jessie Frye’s voice, wrapping around my ears and putting a smile on my face. The arpeggio is celebratory and explodes with lively motion as the drums and bass dance. The sincerity and strength of the vocals deepens the meaning in the lyrics.
Digital notes reach upward and the electric guitar intermingles with Jessie Frye’s voice, adding uplifting and positive feelings. The guitar and broadly gleaming synth call out in a melody that emphasizes excitement and anticipation. Warmth pours out of the vocals and they rise toward the heavens.
The track glides as the flashing synth twirls and the kick drum pounds again. Clapping percussion moves as the vocals flow in the distance and again the chorus rises—Jessie Frye embodying passion and happiness. The guitar and synth surge once more, exploding with luminous strength before the song comes to an end.
The narrator says that it isn't the end and adds, "There is so much waiting in the wild for you and me," as she asks the song's subject to take her hand so she can help them "turn fear into a light that you can trust." She adds that every mountain they climbed, they climbed even when they couldn't see and each time they fell down, "we just dusted off our knees." Now she points out that their love is otherworldly.
Our storyteller points out that when they were kids, "We saw giants over the horizon," and reached for the stars. She asks the song's subject to follow their heart because, "Which way is wrong and which way is right—you'll know in time." She goes on to say that the dreams they built were earned with "blood and bone" and that each shadow they faced "is now worth its weight in gold." As she concludes, she says, "In time you'll learn to trust the light that keeps the flame alive.
A steadily pulsing bass throb moves along with gossamer synth, carrying a gentle melody to open "Haven in the Woods." The elegantly floating chimes move along with the colossal bassline and Jessie Frye’s voice calls out with a melody that feels timeless and tender. The melody is silken and exudes affection, while broadly rippling synth adds surrounding feelings.
The guitar calls out with a melody that is dreamy and full of deep love as the drums burst, while Jessie Frye’s smoothly impassioned voice carries the hopeful melody. Rounded, xylophone-like notes glide as the vocals carry a feeling that touches my heart. Now a vaulting synth flickers as the drums rebound and the guitar links with Jessie Frye’s strong and affecting voice.
Hope rises in Jessie Frye’s voice as twinkling notes shimmer and the drums cruise on. The vocals unfold with desire as the guitar tangles with a lambent glow before the song ends.
Our storyteller writes to the song's subject in "ink darker than my dreams" as they speak to her in "riddles of the heart," for which there is no need. She can't believe that she's waking up next to the song's subject, a "naked angel in my bed, it's just like Wilde said." She goes on to say that if love scares the other person, she'll be "the haven in the woods… the eye of the storm with steadfastness and loyalty."
The narrator says that on New Year's Day, the song's subject should throw away their tarot cards and choose their fate. She adds, "Your fingertips play with the fabric of my dress, lost in a daze." She wonders if she's worthy of love and when she'll have her day in the sun. She adds that if the other person is scared by love, she'll keep them calm, "evergreen and strong."
Now our storyteller concludes that she can feel the winds change but can't remember his name. She adds, "You came out of the blue, I'm lost in the deep red with you." As the song concludes, she tells the song's subject that once again she'll be their haven in the woods and a "siren in the sea" who will sing them to safety.
“Devotion” commences as ominous bass reverberates and twinkling notes slip past. A wide-sounding, string-like synth carries a ghostly melody that echoes over the heavy low end. A melodic pattern emerges, soothing and emotive, matched by Jessie Frye’s expressive, gentle vocals. The bass creates a luscious underpinning as the rounded, glimmering synth flows past.
Jessie Frye’s vocals are full of yearning and hope as the pounding low end drives the track forward. Joyous energy permeates her voice, flowing out with uplifting life. A gently flitting synth moves alongside her heartfelt performance, adding a feeling of passionate love that pulls the listener in.
The chorus shines again as Jessie Frye expresses the depth of affection in the lyrics while the guitar unwinds with dynamic, twisting energy. Jessie fills the music with emotion while the haunting synth wanders with a misty feeling before the song comes to an end.
The narrator pleads with the song’s subject not to turn away from “this paradise that waits for you on the other side of this pain.” She says the seas both separate and bring them together, adding, “The time is now—our love is right.”
Our storyteller asks if she can stay in the subject’s kingdom, “where poetry and summer last all season.” She reminds them they know it’s where they’re supposed to be, adding, “I give you my devotion.”
The narrator says she could drink the subject’s wine and remain always in their favor. She will “worship you divine” and offer her heart. She offers a golden ring and “the purest throne.”
She describes herself as a “butterfly with its wings ready to spread for you,” expressing her unconditional love. She adds, “We make love in the meadow, I see you as you are.” She asks the subject to meet her at the break of dawn, saying, “I can love you more than she can.”
As the song concludes, the narrator asks the subject to meet her at the full moon’s rise, adding, “My love knows the way to paradise.”
A slowly expanding, warming synth moves below Jessie Frye's emotively powerful vocals to begin “Starstruck”. Urgent bass surges forward as Jessie captures the perplexing desire in the lyrics. Clapping percussion echoes while the massive bass underpins the drifting melody, carried on embracing vocals.
A computerized synth with a gliding sheen spins past as reverent drums pound, intermingling with the bass. The vocals climb with complex emotion while the bouncing low end rebounds and a ticking hi-hat guides the rhythm. Frustration and need intertwine in Jessie Frye’s voice as the glowing background rises.
The dense bass adds weight while rapidly rambling digital notes tumble past. The chorus is dynamic, reflecting the song’s complex emotions. Quickly pounding bass drives Jessie Frye’s rapidly chanted vocals. Tranquil arpeggios twirl as her voice floats distantly, growing in strength, as digitized notes swirl and the unending low-end pulse takes the song to its conclusion.
The narrator recalls falling in love with the song’s subject’s chaos, saying, “I followed you through the midnight maze, Beethoven’s 5th on the radio.” She makes love to him as snow falls outside and asks, “How the hell did you come into my life?” She adds, “It’s like candlelight in the nightclub with you, red wine and a skyscraper with a view.”
Our storyteller confesses the song’s subject has her “starstruck” as she breathes him in. She adds that not even twilight can save her now. No crystal ball could have warned her about “the treacherous plot that lay ahead.” She doesn’t want his luxury and wonders why he can’t reveal his true self. It’s like “paradise trapped inside a dream.”
“It’s like opulence, the glare of a silver sunset,” and crimson lips “haunted by the power of a kiss.” She says the subject believes love is “springtime in Paris, endless Christmas presents,” and driving a convertible with the top down in Hawaii. However, he’s “a man of charming illusion,” unable to afford the truth when “L.A. will just wear you out.”
The simple reality for our storyteller is: “All the diamonds and the pearls could not fool this southern girl.”
"Myth" starts with a meditative, floating synth that undulates with easy motion. It grows in volume and Jessie Frye's breathy voice carries a melody shot through with painful emotion and memory. The drums click and pound as the scintillating synth flares with light, while Jessie Frye captures desire mingled with frustration in her expressive voice.
Piano-like chords tremble and the driving low end moves with the fully shining synth while the vocals drift with feeling. Delicate notes intertwine while Jessie Frye's strong voice rises with moving sensations. The synth smoothly sings with surrounding brilliance while the vocals take on an element of defiance as the low end guides the music.
Now the track slides into a segment in which a piano gives depth to the smoothly slipping chords, as Jessie Frye performs with a directness and engagement that draws me in. The shimmering synth weaves a web of shiny elegance before the song ends on gigantic piano chords and heavy bass.
The storyteller says that the night she met the song’s subject, she thought they were upset. She was “with a lover who was wrong for me,” but the other person didn’t realize it yet. She reflects that “all the boys think that I’m a mystery, try to love me with their bodies,” but they don’t understand her like the song’s subject does. She also observes that it isn’t a myth that love exists—“it’s hell that feels like heaven.”
The narrator has been enchanted by the song’s subject but wonders what that person really knows about her. She can’t resist “a beautiful narcissist,” but when the person says they should focus on friendship, she feels that “that phrase is starting to feel abusive.” She refuses to take part in “the sword fight in slow motion” and feels that this is the perfect moment for a final goodbye. She knows the subject’s lies will “sell you out like a slow drip poison,” so this is the right time to stop fighting.
Our storyteller says this is the other person’s curtain call, because she knows they don’t love her. She adds, “If I drink of you, I will be forever addicted,” so she leaves with the other person’s “castle crumbling,” knowing she was once “a willing jester to a makeshift king.”
"True Love's Kiss" opens with a resonating, gliding synth that moves with a strongly bursting drum and bass pulse. Bell-like synth tones shine with uplifting and hopeful emotion, while the lead singer encapsulates the affection and joy exuded by the lyrics.
A feeling of celebration and gratitude fills the song as the glittering synth dances and Jessie Frye’s voice rises, pure love pouring from it and touching my heart. I enjoy the way luminosity washes through the music as the vocals contribute caring emotion. Lusciously glistening synth shines while the guitar twangs with aspiring sensations and the arpeggios wrap around the listener.
As the drums drop away, thrilling synth twirls and Jessie Frye calls out with gentle emotion. The drums throb again as the vocals exude fulfillment, pulsing with the rhythm. The piano skips through the music with an easygoing feeling as the vocals carry the jubilant melody until the song comes to an end on strong bass and drums.
The narrator is in disbelief that “true love’s kiss has finally come to me—it was always the thorn and never the rose.” All she can think in those moments is what would have happened if she’d given up. She adds, “You’ll always be in my life, you kill the poison with a gentle sword.” She asks the song’s subject to hold her because “your love is holy, in the dark of winter you make me glitter.”
Our storyteller says that “once upon a time” has nothing on them and “every page that I write is lit up by the sun,” as she sees the song’s subject with eyes full of wonder and the lessons she’s learned. The other person shows her “beautiful colors, battle scars I’ve earned.”
Now the narrator points out that she’d travel to the ends of the earth to save the song’s subject from pain—“fight monsters and conquer kings to show you your worth.” She speaks of legends told about “how our threads of gold survive the cruel hands of time.”
The other person will always be in her life because they “kill the darkness with a gentle light.” She wants them to hold her because “your love is holy—in the days of summer, we live forever.”
As the song concludes, the storyteller says she’ll keep the other person “safe and sound, right where you belong,” and she’ll keep their crown “right where it should be.”
Water drips and threatening bass shifts to start "Hidden Realm." Ethereal notes tremble and Jessie Frye’s slightly distorted and impassioned vocals rise over the urgently heaving bass and sweeping notes. Widely cascading, computerized-sounding synth vibrates and echoes while the full-throated vocals express the hopeful, joyful nature of the lyrics.
The chorus climbs with uplifting dynamism while the drums and bass throb. Jessie Frye’s voice carries the vaulting and positive melody, as it takes hold of my soul. Deeply thudding bass moves with a tremulous synth before the chorus adds encouragement. The quickly undulating drums and bass are touched by Jessie Frye’s voice as she soulfully carries the lyrics.
Smoothly intermingling synth moves with lissome feelings while the bass rumbles. Radiant synth flares as the chorus rises to the skies, permeated with inspiring feelings before the song comes to an end.
Our storyteller has let the song's subject into her "hidden realm," which has been long forgotten. The other person picks "the petals off the ground and brings this rose back to life." She says that the two of them move at an ideal speed. The song's subject is "an angel inside of me, falling with the autumn leaves."
The narrator says that she opens up "when the rush comes" as she asks the song's subject to heal her with their love. She used to "stay up late talking to the moon, wishing for you." She asks the other person if they think it's strange that "after all the rain I finally found you."
Every fairy tale that our storyteller has ever read "warns of illusion," as she adds that Prince Charming had abandoned her. The song's subject came into her life instead and she prays for "a winter's day, my heart filled with innocence" and a lover who isn't too scared to stay.
Now the narrator evokes a "shattered sky frozen in time" as she asks if the pain will disappear now that the song's subject is hers. She concludes that the "castle walls stand ten feet tall (and the) only thing that could burn it down is your sacred fire."
"Moonlight and Leather" starts with a racing beat and shadowed synth swirling with Jessie Frye’s painfully aching vocals. The pounding low end creates hardcore energy while the need for escape fills Jessie Frye’s voice. Fiercely tangling, brilliantly shining guitar calls out as the drums and bass throb while Jessie Frye’s forceful vocals carry the explosive chorus.
Now the chanted vocals move as the ominous notes swirl and the relentless bass pounds. The minor key, aching vocals pierce my heart with the sincerity of Jessie Frye’s emotion. The hard-charging low end supports the chorus that rings with profound expression while the intertwining guitar emanates more hopeful light and contrast.
Smoothly undulating bass moves as warmer chords glow and now the ferocious guitar slices with unrestrained energy, crying out as it flies through the music before the song ends on Jessie Frye’s vocals.
The narrator wasn't ever happy "dancing in his arms in a last chance, small town, falling star dive bar" while she was looking for some sort of blueprint or perhaps "just a work of art." Now she talks about her high heels clicking on the pavement as "I've got my red lipstick on, my leather shines in the moonlight."
Our storyteller describes herself as "a bride of the night on the run, chasing heaven straight into the dawn." She's not going to look back and she's gone because she's "willing to pay the price for a moment that's finally mine." She wonders whether the song's subject can heal her wounds with their wings and asks, "Will you listen if I pray to you? Moonlight and leather."
There are "scars that tell a story" marking the narrator as she searches for the ghost of "the one I love the most." She asks, "What will you be left with when the fame is gone?" and adds that "I won't be crucified on a neon sign."
Our storyteller is watching the stars fall one at a time, concluding, "You don't recognize yourself, the alcohol and small town boys fade into a glittering hell."
The drums bounce as the dancing synth skips past to begin “Castles in the Sky.” The lyrics are full of loss despite the dynamic and positive-feeling tune and the energetic low end. Gentleness mingles with the loss in Jessie Frye’s vocals. The bright synth flits with a joyous contrast to the pain. Truly massive bass rumbles with crushing strength as Jessie Frye’s voice captures the emotional turmoil expressed in the lyrics. There is a soothing affection in the vocals that seeks the past she and the song’s subject used to share.
Nostalgia pours out from Jessie Frye’s voice as the steadily driving low end presses on and the vaulting synth radiates glorious light, while defiance and loss permeate the vocals. The trumpeting notes add lustrous luminosity while Jessie Frye’s strong voice soars upward. Now the sharp-edged, undulating synth moves with the pounding kick drop while the softly touching vocals slip past. I am pulled in by the power and engagement of the performance as the rapidly rippling synth bends and cries while Jessie Frye’s vocals echo. The song drives to an end with power as the chorus cries out and fades to silence.
The narrator says that their last kiss at the airport has her feeling "every shade of blue." She isn't angry, but she is sad for the song's subject because he "walked away from good love." She asks if he remembers laying on the beach, adding that she trusted him and he meant everything to her. She thought that "we were living the dream." She gave him all of her tears and wasted an entire year.
Now the storyteller says she is "watching castles in the sky fade to gray" as she realizes that last summer changed everything. The magic in the song's subject's eyes was "a masquerade," and at that moment, all of the pain came home to her.
She tried to love the other person through all of his problems, which she says he knows deep down. The narrator adds that "when we met, you were warm and bright as sunshine," pointing out that sometimes it's just the way things go.
Our storyteller says that if she could change one thing, she'd stand up for herself. She says that the other person "really should take all the blame," adding that none of what she has to say is easy. She's made peace with the little things as she takes off the song subject’s ring.
As the song ends, the narrator says, "The truth, it hurts most times. Your true colors stain every memory that I leave behind."
Conclusion
Otherworld is one of those albums that takes a solid hold of my heartstrings and yanks on them. It delivers a punch of emotional power along with skillfully written lyrics and melodies which reach out and caress me—or capture pain and loss with aching expression. The more I listen to this album, the further I am drawn into the world created by Jessie Frye.
