Jessie Baylin returns with a Deluxe Edition of Strawberry Wind, an album that delivers on a promise Baylin made with herself: to create an honest album for kids and parents alike. With four new tracks added (three on the vinyl edition), the album delightfully expresses a childlike sensibility through tracks overflowing with an excitement for life that speaks well to children. Weaving through lyrical themes of dream life, supermoons, and summertime vibes, there are also some gentle doses of reality on Strawberry Wind. “I don't want to lie to my kids. Life can be hard sometimes and you need to find a way to deal with it," says Baylin. "There will always be things in life you can't control, but you can dream of a better world and make your own refuge." She continues, “I wanted it to feel magical and remind people of the child inside of all of us that is filled with a sense of wonder, pure joy, and hope.”
“What makes Strawberry Wind different is that it approaches children's music in a way that trusts kids to be more mature than we give them credit for, and lets adults be more whimsical than usually permitted.” – Rolling Stone
Baylin’s trademark dream-pop vocals shine through, her inherent musicality is present, and her '70s Laurel Canyon/Brill Building writing prowess is front-and-center. Having released five critically-acclaimed albums over the years, Baylin says the seed was planted for this album after recording a cover of Harry Nilsson's "He Needs Me" from the kids' film Popeye, released via Amazon Music’s original “Acoustics” playlist. This led to her creating Strawberry Wind as an original and exclusive album for Amazon, released April 28, 2018. "Since becoming a mother, I found myself being around the house a lot, and I started gravitating to these wonderful albums I remembered from my own childhood — The Beatles, Harry Nilsson's The Point!, John Lennon, Roger Miller's Robin Hood, and Carole King's Really Rosie,” says Baylin. The magic of those iconic '70s records she mentions is that “they're all grounded in solid songwriting and were never dumbed down for the audience.”
"She's created her own heavenly pop universe, crafting songs that are lush and dreamy." – Garden & Gun
Strawberry Wind was originally produced by Baylin’s longtime friend and artist, the late Richard Swift (Nathaniel Ratliff & the Nightsweats, The Shins). Swift had produced all of Baylin’s albums since 2011, starting with The Pleasure Center EP in 2011, Little Spark, released in 2012, 2015’s Dark Place, and Strawberry Wind in 2018. Swift was the first person Baylin worked with who truly understood what she wanted for her music. Blending their united and creative sensibilities, Strawberry Wind was to be their final collaboration before his passing.
Throughout 2020 and 2021, Baylin recorded a new album, Jersey Girl, with Grammy winning producers/writers/musicians Daniel Tashian and Ian Fitchuk (Kacey Musgraves Golden Hour). The record was released in September 2022 and led to appearances on The Late Late Show with James Corden and The Kelly Clarkson Show.
During the pandemic, Baylin, now the mother of two children, began thinking about how to bring forward new songs to create a Deluxe Edition for Strawberry Wind and not disrupt the beauty of the original release. Turns out when the original recording sessions happened, Baylin was not yet aware that she was pregnant with her second child. Thinking back on those days, writing more songs began to come together quite organically. Pairing up with Daniel Tashian, who she’s written with over the past 13 years, the first song that emerged was “Big Feelings.” Baylin explains, “After an emotional summer with my youngest, ‘big feeling’ son, I felt compelled to dig into some of the conversations my husband and I were having with him.” She adds, “And after thinking about it, I realized we all – myself included – struggle with big feelings, as well. The challenge is how to release them appropriately when they arise and feel so strong and heavy – the delicate balance of feeling them and not completely letting them take over your entire self.”
Following that, Baylin paired up with another longtime collaborator: writer, artist, and producer Thad Cockrell. Together they wrote “Come Over,” a song that’s “a snapshot of a day, from morning to evening and all the moments in-between with my family. Us connecting with one another over simple things like scrambled eggs, music, or dance parties at the house – sometimes it’s the small moments that can mean the most,” shares Baylin. Additionally, with Cockrell, Baylin wrote the song “A Beautiful Life.” “The idea,” says Baylin, “is that we are often told that to have a beautiful life, it’s as if there’s some version of perfection that needs to be achieved. But what I’ve experienced in my world is that the real beauty comes from the ups and downs, the surrendering moments – that is where one’s truth lies and where a beautiful life can be found.”
“I Can Bring Love” by the Bee Gees is a track that Baylin had on her original list for Strawberry Wind as a possible cover. With the chance to bring more to the Deluxe Edition, this gem of a song was an easy choice for her to make – and what a shining moment it is.
In addition to the four new tracks, and as part of the Deluxe Edition, Strawberry Wind (a short film) will be available for streaming on YouTube on May 10, 2024. The short film is inspired by five songs from Baylin’s album. Created by award-winning animator Steven Mertens, it tells the story of a little girl, inspired by Baylin’s daughter, who goes to sleep, only to go on a grand adventure in a cosmic dream world. In the film, the “Dream Catcher” is an animated cat who guides the girl through a wonderland of flying fishes, a bikini clad elephant, a strawberry boy, and other magical creatures who protect her along the way.
The Associated Press praised Baylin’s music as “Lush thoughtful pop music … [that] plays on the mind like late afternoon sunshine filtered through layers of gauze.” Strawberry Wind, now with four new tracks added (three on the vinyl edition), is an enhancement we can all celebrate and rejoice. These stellar recordings are for children and adults, at any age.
Strawberry Wind Deluxe Edition Track Listing
1. Dream Catcher
2. Supermoon
3. Strawberry Wind
4. Same Old Tune
5. Sparkle Shoelaces
6. Little Bird
7. Magic Of Your Mind
8. It's The Summertime
9. I Am A Dreamer
10. Power In Words
11. We Need Each Other
12. Big Feelings (NEW)
13. Come Over (NEW)
14. I Can Bring Love (NEW)
15. A Beautiful Life (NEW - Digital Exclusive)
Watch a video for the album's title track HERE.
Watch a video for "Dream Catcher" HERE.
Watch a video for "Supermoon" HERE.