Get to Know the Artist: Jaime Wyatt
The name Jaime Wyatt may not ring a bell, but you may have heard of her before. As one of the most important independent country artists, she’s been on the radar for the past five years. She was a surprise nominee for the Saving Country Music Awards’ Best New Artist of the Year award, and if her debut album Felony Blues is anything to go by, the future is looking bright for this singer/songwriter.
Although she started her music career as a teenager, her path to stardom has had its fair share of hiccups. After a record deal with her first label fell through, she signed with the aforementioned Forty Below Records. Despite a promising start, Wyatt’s career stalled and she spent eight months in jail. Luckily, a plea deal and time served helped the young singer-songwriter re-energize her music career.
With her latest album, Neon Cross, the outlaw country singer has reached new heights. Along with her stellar six-string playing and a compelling story, the singer has the enviable honour of being the first artist to be featured in Under the Big Sky Fest, a festival in Montana showcasing independent stars. While the festival isn’t about to catapult Wyatt into superstardom, she will be seen by a lot more people.
Felony Blues may have been her best album to date, but Neon Cross takes her performance to the next level. It’s a dreamy country masterpiece. On it, she delivers an impressive list of notable musical guests, including Sam Outlaw, Jeff Buckley, the Frames, and her brother, drummer and producer Shooter Jennings. Not to be outdone, the album also has a couple of notable controversies. One of them being the fact that one of the performers, Neal Casal, passed away in August.
There’s more to the story than the title track, though. For one thing, she was able to get a song licensed for a major motion picture. This isn’t the case for most indie artists, but the award-winning singer and songwriter is able to rock her Western suit harder than any other woman in country. In fact, she may be the only female country artist to have her songs featured in a film. Regardless of the outcome, it’s clear that Jaime Wyatt has the chops to make it big.
In addition to her latest release, Wyatt is also touring with CMT’s Next Women of Country. In a world of celebrity shills and pop country, it’s refreshing to see an artist with a truly unique and authentic story. That, along with her impressive voluminous production values, means that Wyatt’s latest is an album to watch. Whether she’s singing in her own barn or on a festival main stage, Jaime Wyatt is a talented musician who deserves her place in the country music hierarchy. Until then, enjoy her music.
Among the numerous contenders, it’s hard to pick a favorite. However, if you’re in the market for a good time, Jaime Wyatt’s Felony Blues is a must-listen.
