I love it when I get to review a second piece of work from an artist. Wellington-based Nelson-ite singer/songwriter/producer Jessica Leigh has given us a great new EP and this is the eponymously titled new single from it, Lightbeam.

From the EPK I deduce this track is about Jessica finding her feet in the capital, and it’s commendably different in all aspects from the previous track I reviewed. I make no secret that light pop/dance is not my first choice of go-to music, but to be negative because of something so utterly subjective as my individual taste is unfair, and frankly wrong in this particular job. I’m here to tell you about what the song is.

This is a slower-beat number with a hi-energy vocal feel, which is a smart move. A very sweet melody, which will definitely appeal to an audience that listens to the poppier stuff. Jessica celebrates her sexuality, which thankfully in these enlightened days people can do, and this will be a hit in bars frequented by our LGBTQ+ friends and whanau (that’s Te Reo – Maori – for family, for the non-New Zealanders).

The video does have a little bit of a Tay Tay feel, a la making me think of the words “She wears short skirts, I wear tee shirts“, however that’s a minor. The lighting is great, there are enough mixed scenes to keep a decent flow, and it suits the track.

All in all it’s a light, strings kind of pop bordering on Country but not stepping into that genre. It’s excellently engineered and polished, and I hope it gets picked up on all commercial stations. Jessica is building a story and she’s thinking while she’s doing it – all the while providing good pop music with intelligently written lyrics.

Another hit. Follow her socials! Download her EP and support her.