Jackie Tohn.  The Tohnerino.  The Tohnmeister.  The Tohnster.  The Tohnorama.  Makin’ muuuusic.  I swear if this girl was a lumberjack instead of an entertainer there’d be no more trees. 

To simply call Jackie Tohn a singer/songwriter would be like describing The Rocky Horror Picture Show as a musical.  It’s true, but dreadfully misleading.  Energy plus and with an affinity for theatrics, little miss facial expressions is a freak for flair -- all affects are welcome, and style is more of a fluid concept, rather than a defining characteristic. 

The local lassie sings with the vocal power of at least four or five human beings (and still I get the feeling she’s holding back), she’s a natural storyteller on stage, she’s gorgeous and she knows it, and she writes songs about men and clothing and fish.  Her music is pretty pop with a twitch; a paradox of vulnerability and arrogance, honesty and exaggeration, swagger and silliness.  Sounds like the perfect woman, doesn't it?

Tonight she is celebrating the release of her new CD, Beguiling, with a performance at the Hotel Café.  While this album is clear accomplishment -- Velvet Coat and Places I Can Stand are mind melters -- listening to Ms. Jackée (no relation) solely on a recording, would be akin to watching a Jello commercial and calling it dessert. 

Live is this child’s medium.  And until she gets a team of NASA professionals willing to take her to outerspace in an attempt to capture the massive magic of her sound, you best be attending the up close and personal version.