Jessica Lea Mayfield’s first two albums–produced by the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach–were raw and acoustic, but last year’s Make My Head Sing… simmers with intensity. Part of that fire comes from the album’s sludgy production, at times recalling Nirvana with a little country twang thrown in. Before the recording, Mayfield and her husband (and bassist in her band) Jesse Newport helped each other kick some drug habits. Consequently, Mayfield sounds freed from both her physical and creative past, even with the songs’ dark, swirling tones. She stopped by Studio 1A last summer with her band to show off the change in sound, and today’s song of the day comes from that live session. “I Wanna Love You” nods its head to “Don’t Fear The Reaper” with a particularly distorted riff (but no cowbell, unfortunately). At the center of the storm, Mayfield sounds eerily calm, giving the song a ghostly menace that you just can’t shake.
–Art Levy
Catch Jessica Lea Mayfield at Red 7 on Saturday, February 7.