Julissa Neely - The Sweet Bye and Bye

Producer:  Elijah Thomson
Record Label:  Independent
Website:  https://www.noisetrade.com/julissaneely

Julissa Neely grew up on the road with the family as a missionary’s kid.  Through her years as a missionary, Neely gained a true love for different cultures and ethnicities - as well as a love for Americana and blues music.  Neely has since made a name for herself while leading worship at several Calvary Churches across the nation and doing several tours in the UK.  During that time, Neely began to be fascinated with worship and writing modern day hymns with a Americana/roots bent and strong blues influences.  She released her debut album - Angels Watching Over Me - in 2004 and is releasing the similarly themed album The Sweet Bye and Bye now.  The Sweet Bye and Bye picks up where the debut left off - focusing on Neely’s own modern hymns with a strong blues and jazz approach to the music.  The thing is Neely has a tendency in her writing to be really hit or miss.  The piano-based “Go Sweetly” is a really nice pop ditty that oozes with personality, and the aptly-titled Americana “Beautiful” adds a real sweetness to the album.  In other places, Neely doesn’t quite live up to the expectations set by her own influences - such as the overly cliched “I Am Washed In the Blood of Jesus” or Norah Jones knock off “When the Trumpet Sounds.”  Overall, The Sweet Bye and Bye may not go down as the best representation of gospel artists that dabble in blues, jazz, and roots music, but it is a nice enough album for fans of artists like Over the Rhine, Emmylou Harris, or Julie Miller. 

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