JESSICA LAVALLEE

                                                              "Small Town Girl" 

                                                              Independent Release

Ottawa, Canada based singer-songwriter Jessica Lavallee has carved out her niche amongst the country music scene north of our border, first by gaining experience through two appearances on Canadian Idol and then with the release of songs “Wildfire” and “We Can’t Be Apart” in 2016.

Though it’s been a while since we last heard from Lavallee, that doesn’t mean she hasn’t been hard at work. Quite the opposite actually! She’s been discovering her signature sound, writing a bunch of new material, and started working on a new EP in 2021 with famed producer Kent Wells.

Though the pandemic and the travel restrictions that it caused brought its fair share of challenges, she’s now giving us our first taste of things to come with “Small Town Girl.”

Written by Jessica Lavallee, Terry Lavallee, and Carmen M. Bennett, the reminiscing/autobiographical song comes from the perspective of the missing it feelings she’s experiencing after returning to her current home in the big city from another summertime visit to the small town where she grew up.

Her homesick feelings are evident as she vividly sings us through the different seasons of the coastal town that she once called home, describing its summers as a time when fisherman set sail every morning to cast out their nets and its autumns as a time when the sea begins roaring and all good things must end; thus, signaling her return home to the city.

However, buried within these lyrics is also a strong confidence in her voice as she boldly understands who she is today because of where she was raised back then, singing in the chorus: 

“No city lights

Will leave me blind

To the love of the coast

That flows through my soul.”

While later declaring that “Wherever I go, it’ll always be a part of me.”

With its overall feel that sounds like it could’ve been plucked from the very strong 2010 era of country music, combining with lyrics that interestingly veer away from the typical small-town/dirt road type of anthems we’ve grown accustomed to over the past decade, Lavallee has delivered a song that can connect with the homesick hearts of anyone who’s left hometown to explore greener pastures and bigger dreams.

(Review Written By: Jeffrey Kurtis)