Thank God JoAnna Lynne still has a lot of growing up to do. In a world of self-proclaimed "Old Souls," you can almost watch as she absorbs her surroundings with a youthful exuberance. Wide-eyed, charismatic, and ever stubbing her toe upon unlikely opportunities, so when a chance invitation to interview with the Ford Modeling Agency presents itself, a profession in which she has no interest or background, she says, "What the hell," and catches a train to New York just to see what happens. She moves with an ease that is either naive or supremely confident.
She can't remember a time when she didn't consider herself a singer. Fixed from youth on her direction, JoAnna has always been backed by a tight knit family that doubles as both personal and professional support system. During an abbreviated stay at Berklee College of Music, nudged forward by an encouraging roommate, that dream began to crystallize. Her discovery of songwriting, and the collaborative nature of the environment, challenged her to dig beneath superficial responses.
It was these lessons that she packed up and brought back home to Virginia Beach where she began to hone her craft. From open mic's and local support gigs to regional shows and radio play, it's a contagious enthusiasm for a barefooted girl that sits onstage engulfed by her Gibson Jumbo acoustic guitar. Her debut EP "Bad Habits”, laden with smoky timbers that draw from a deep well of emotion, trembles with clear throated confidence, silky vibrato, and her understated guitar playing. Presented with an unguarded insight that speaks directly to the listener, it's a sound to get excited about.
B.Hull (okayplayer.com)
