Listen to the first single “The Being Gone”
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — No one covers the spectrum of age and experience quite like Jamie Lin Wilson: the singer-songwriter’s second full-length album Jumping Over Rocks comprises songs that paint moving portraits of men, women, and children coping, striving, wondering, and celebrating. The album is set to release October 26. The first single “The Being Gone,” which Rolling Stone Country called a “lush travelogue,” questions the cost and payoff of decisions made and time spent on the road.
The songs on Jumping Over Rocks encompass universal themes but remain specific and personal, too. Wilson wrote from the outside looking in, studying characters around her and picking up on details most people miss. The album gets its title from “Death and Life,” an epic that took her four years to write. A widow mourning her husband and not quite ready to let go; a son who copes with his father’s death by working with his hands, hammers, nails, and 2x4s; kids hopping over rocks in a graveyard, inadvertently learning about the circle of things.
“Oklahoma Stars,” which Wilson wrote with Turnpike Troubadours’ Evan Felker, pays tribute to those long nights that run together, unremarkably, but in hindsight come together to build a relationship, land, or life. “Instant Coffee Blues,” originally written by Guy Clark and featuring Jack Ingram as a duet partner, is the sole cover on the record. It’s followed by Wilson’s own song, “Run,” which explores an area Clark mastered, with a stirring debate over how long is too long for a woman to stay.
Wilson recorded Jumping Over Rocks during four days at Arlyn Studios in Austin. A fierce cast of musicians joined her, including Charlie Sexton on guitar, and together, Wilson and the players cut every track live. The result is a rich collection of story songs delivered over rootsy strings, moody keys, crying steel, and sparse percussion, carried by Wilson’s soprano that can convey tears or laughter with equal ease.
Wilson didn’t pick up a guitar until she was 19. After receiving an acoustic guitar for Christmas, she began attending open mics in College Station, Texas, and was immediately welcomed into what was primarily a boys’ club of aspiring pickers. There, she met fellow bandmate Shane Walker — a precursor to her time with The Gougers. She would eventually also co-front The Trishas, as well — the opposite of a boys’ club, noted for their impeccable harmonies.
Wilson will hit the road again this fall, sharing her keen observations on the simple pieces of life that are often magnificent in their own way.