Winnipeg Free Press Review (July 25th,2009) Happiness (Independent) Local songstress Jaylene Johnson has moved on from the overt Christian music of her past and fully embraced her pop side. Fans of her spiritual material shouldn't worry though -- they can still find plenty to like in these 10 tracks which are filled with uplifting energy and good vibrations. Just Be is a positive affirmation of being yourself and not sweating the small stuff. The title track is an inspirational piano ballad. Grow is a bouncy finger-snapping ditty. Superhero ebbs and flows beautifully, building slowly to a giant chorus. Johnson's voice sounds almost childlike and is an instrument in of itself, adding melodic flavour as it floats above the sharp arrangements. The album ends with four ballads in a row, which halts the disc's upbeat momentum, but still, there is plenty of happiness to find here. 'Ö'Ö'Ö1/2 -- RW Biography Choosing a career path in music is like choosing to get on a rollercoaster over and over again, but with a constantly evolving landscape. Winnipeg singer/songwriter, Jaylene Johnson, is no stranger to twists and turns in her musical path, and has had a tilt-a-whirl journey, to say the least. The most dramatic event was perhaps a head-on collision with a semi-truck in December of 2004, which capped off an extensive coast-to-coast solo tour in Canada to promote her sophomore release, FINDING BEAUTIFUL. What followed was a season where excruciating pain brought life to a halt. But she survived the accident and subsequent injuries, and once again bought tickets for the music industry ride. Rightly so. Songs from HAPPINESS are already finding their way in the world of licensing. 'Just Be', the lead single, has become the theme song for the brand new ezine, www.more2girls.com, and 'Grow' from the release was recently used by CBC television in Canada for the show 'Being Erica'. Jaylene credits Lloyd Peterson, the producer of her first record, NOT FORGOTTEN in 2000, with encouraging her to write her own material, and songwriting is where she discovered her deepest passion in music. She was awarded Contemporary Pop Song of the year by the US Gospel Music Association in 2002, and FINDING BEAUTIFUL was nominated for a Western Canadian Music Award and five Covenant Awards in 2004. Songs from that record received national airplay on CBC and CCM radio, and found numerous placements in television with Sony Pictures Television and NBC Universal. Her success at acquiring licenses for television caught the attention of Casablanca Media Publishing in 2006 with whom she worked under contract until recently. In 2008 alone she wrote with over fifty writers in Los Angeles, Nashville, Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg and showcased for NBC Universal and ABC Disney in LA. She has also landed cuts with several independent artists. The development of her writing is most notable in HAPPINESS, which consists of 10 songs written over the past few years and an enhanced portion, with bonus tracks and more available to those who purchase the hard copy. The lush sound of the recording is the work of Brandon Friesen and Phil Deschambault in Winnipeg, who each produced different tracks. This offering is decidedly more pop than the more atmospheric FINDING BEAUTIFUL, but is its sister in demonstrating Jaylene's ability to find hope in the face of the ups and downs and painful realities of life. This is a hope that she shares with great charisma onstage, through performing and storytelling, and will continue to share as she promotes HAPPINESS at home and beyond.