Borderline, London
At only 21, Ohio's Jessica Lea Mayfield has released two soul-baring albums that have seen her described as a young Lucinda Williams or Stateside Laura Marling, and earned the endorsement of kd lang. Still, this London crowd need convincing, and when Mayfield totters on in black cocktail dress and high heels, it is to a only smattering of cheers. She soon wins them over. Mayfield may resemble a regular pretty girl on a night out, but she sings more like a woman weary from a life of romantic disappointments.
She's accompanied by a three-piece band, who add weight to her sad acoustic strumming. Our Hearts Are Wrong is country, and there is a twang to her voice, but she's no Stand By Your Man type. Think Tammy Wynette with the belligerence of a punk. With the electric guitar embellishment, it's like hearing a noise band through the wall of a Nashville bar.
Mayfield has a dry sense of humour, and she knows when to drop in a dramatic line: "I broke the little cabana boy's heart/ To let you fondle me in the dark," she sings on Sometimes at Night. There is commercial potential here, especially the jaunty Grown Man, although lyrics such as "I'm surprised that I'm not dead yet" perhaps militate against pop-chart action.
The sense of damage and quiet despair is strong: there is a throng of lads at the front who are clearly smitten. They even offer her a glass of champagne. "Do I want one?" she smiles, replying: "Duh!" Well, she is only 21. The encore, Somewhere in Your Heart, is about suicide notes. "You should Google them," she urges. "Some of them are really funny." She came on tentatively, but she leaves a star.