REVIEWS: NO DEPRESSION MAGAZINE - Sep/Oct 2007 It’s the achy twang in Jaimi Shuey’s inviting voice that immediately captures your attention. You feel her yearning for love in “How Long”, sympathize with her hurt in “The Wrong Girl”, and share her sense of adventure in “Wild Things”. That strong opening trio invites comparisons to a young Lucinda Williams. But just when you think Shuey is headed off down gravel roads, she shifts gears with the stylish, jazz flavored “Ouija”, a tune reminiscent of another southern California chanteuse, Eleni Mandell. The latter half of her ten track debut swings confidently between dusty honky-tonk and more sophisticated lounge. On “Country Girl” and “Jerkwatertown”, she offers evocative portraits of small town girls, while “A Bite” is a fun, food-equals-sex ditty about “a hungry girl.” A memorable debut, Wrong Girl proves Shuey has the right stuff. -Michael Berick L.A. WEEKLY, Music Pick, May 4-10, 2007 "I spent most of my teenage years in coffeehouses writing poetry, drinking buckets of coffee, daydreaming and making up stories about the people that came in from out of the rain," Jaimi Shuey says about growing up. Those made-up stories have been turned into gently lulling country-pop tunes on her new CD, Wrong Girl (Boronda Records). On "Country Girl," the L.A. singer laments that she doesn't know how to rope a steer or have genuine Southern roots, but John McDuffie absolves her with a slide of his rootsy pedal-steel guitar. She admits to being jealous about a lover's engagement on the country weeper "Wrong Girl," and is itchin' to head out West and escape a "Jerkwater Town." Drummer Don Heffington (Lone Justice, Emmylou Harris) scratches a downbeat groove on the jazzy idyll "Ouija," where Shuey asks the magic board why her boyfriend won't call her back: "Did I go too far?/Am I slutty, am I pretty, am I smart?" Fans of non-cornpone-prone country music should be grateful that Shuey's so memorably unlucky in love. This free show starts at 5 p.m. (Falling James) BIO: Born in California and raised in the Pacific Northwest Jaimi grew up on a steady diet of her mother’s Rolling Stone’s records. Whilst perusing the cornucopia of the household vinyl collection Jaimi also developed a taste for Emmylou Harris, Aretha Franklin and Shel Silverstein. “Freakin’ at the Freaker’s Ball was a big hit at slumber parties, but then so was Hotel California,” says Jaimi. Jaimi landed in LA at 19 and kicked around the fringes of the music scene for awhile, singing in blues bands and forming a jazz group called Patti O’Dining. Sometime in the late 1990’s Jaimi picked up a guitar and started to write her own songs. Armed with three chords and a Martin, Jaimi was naturally attracted to traditional country music, and her songwriting wholeheartedly embraces this newfound love along with her old flames jazz and blues. Performing at the Cinema Bar in Culver City, local musician Mike Baker heard Jaimi and introduced her to producer Charlie McGovern (Ramsay Midwood, Mike Stinson, Tony Gilkyson). Charlie loved the songs and they got right to work on the record. “We kept the recording real stripped down,” says Charlie. “No layered guitars, no backing vocals, just Jaimi fronting a tough band.” “Wrong Girl” features performances from drummer Don Heffington (Bob Dylan, Lucinda Williams, Lone Justice), John McDuffie (Rita Coolidge) on electric guitars and pedal steel and Mike Baker on bass. Songwriter and recording artist Kip Boardman drops in on piano and Wurlitzer while Danny McGough (Tom Waits, Social Distortion) adds the Chamberlain, Hammond, Vox & Pump Organs to round out this stunning debut. John Nowland (Neil Young, Jewel) mastered the record at Broken Arrow Ranch. This album is a collection of stories and daydreams about love lost, found and not returned. The title track “Wrong Girl” is a classic example of the poignant scenes displayed in Jaimi’s songs. Her unique, sometimes melancholy, sometimes holy voice brings the characters in these tales to life. Great songs, gifted musicians and raw, unfussy production continue to be the hallmark of Boronda Records and “Wrong Girl” no exception.