By Jesse Dee, 2008

Jesse Dee's influences read like a Who's Who of classic soul music. Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, Etta James, Al Green and many others. But Jesse Dee is not just a student of the classics.

He also loves the new wave of rootsy artists -James Hunter, Amos Lee and John Legend, among them. "Soul music has always hit me harder than any other kind of music,'' says the Boston-based Jesse, who has learned his lessons well. He puts a convincing new spin on the subject with his debut solo disc, "Bittersweet Batch,'' which should please anyone with a love of this heartfelt style.

Jesse adds a stunning vocal expressiveness and a unique ability to inject and dissect emotions. He delivers it all with a warmth that comes from analog recording and from cutting a lot of the songs live in the studio. Jesse co-produced "Bittersweet Batch'' (consisting of all-original tracks) with Jack Younger in the latter's Basement 247 Studio.

Younger has also produced for fellow Boston roots phenomenon Eli "Paperboy'' Reed. The record is targeted for a Sept. 9 release on 7 Note Records, which has previously issued music from talented Boston singer Danielle Miraglia.

Jesse's love of soul is honest to the core. When you step into his home studio, for example, you may find him putting on a vinyl copy of "The Best Chess Vocal Groups,'' including cuts on the seminal Chess Records by the Moonglows, Miracles, and Flamingos.

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