DC Grad to Release New EP CD
April 13th, 2017 by iPhoneDrew Central graduate and Delta State University senior Jessica Faith [Wishard] will release her second EP, “Someplace Calling Me,” at the end of April.
This project is a culmination of the skills she has learned in her past four years as an Entertainment Industry Studies major, combining her knowledge of songwriting, recording, publishing, and social media.
Faith’s first EP, “Wallflower,” was released in the fall of 2013 to favorable reviews. On the heels of this release, Faith entered and won the GRAMMY® Amplifier competition, a contest funded by Hyundai, the “Official Vehicle Partner” of the GRAMMY Awards®. As one of the winners, she performed in 2014 at the Gibson Show Room at SXSW in Austin, TX opening for Allen Stone and Aloe Blacc. Her first video—for her song “Without a Fight”—was produced in Nashville by Deaton/Flanigen Productions and was released on the GRAMMY’s YouTube channel in January of 2015.
Now, Faith is handling the writing, recording, and production of her second EP. Faith says of her title choice, “I chose to call this project ‘Someplace Calling Me’ because, even though I’m not sure what I’m doing after graduation, I know that I’m going somewhere.” The title is also a lyric in the first track, a traveling song that asks listeners: “Won’t you come away with me?” Travel and places are themes throughout the record—one song, “Arkansas,” is a story of love and heartbreak set in Faith’s home state. “Over these past four years, I’ve had the opportunity to travel to places like L.A., Nashville, and even Russia, and all of these places have deeply impacted me. They’ve made me want to explore the unknown, but they’ve also shown me just how much I love home and familiarity,” Faith explains.
With the exception of “Arkansas,” the album was recorded at the Delta Music Institute at Delta State University in Cleveland, MS. The process and the sound differs from her first album, on which Faith plays all the piano parts on songs that could be broadly defined as pop. This album leans more toward Americana/singer-songwriter, and most of the instrumentation was left to “the professionals.” A single song on the first album contained a guitar part; this album has guitar on every song.
This EP, titled “Someplace Calling Me” also shows a move from the “I’m just a wallflower” attitude of her youth. Her lyrics, while still communicating universal emotions, are braver, Southern-tinged, and a result of the people, places, and problems she’s encountered.
“Someplace Calling Me” will be available in early May for streaming on Spotify, download on iTunes, Amazon, CD Baby, and physical copies can be purchased from Jessica Faith or Rodney and Susan Wishard.
For more information about Jessica Faith, visit her website: https://jessicafaithmusic.wordpress.com/