THERE are some musicians who feel most at home in the studio, among the multitude of gadgets and sound desks, free to tweak and twist their creations like a mad scientist.
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For others, nothing can compete with the adrenaline rush of the performance, particularly in front of a live audience.
Newcastle's Georgie Jones has always fallen into the latter camp. Her previous solo recordings - the single All My Love (2017) and EP Live At Morgan Manor (2018) - were recorded live to tape. The performance was central.
Yet her new single Baby required greater attention. For the first time Jones bunkered down in Soundpark Studios in Melbourne under the watchful eye of Sex On Toast frontman, turned producer, Angus Leslie.
The result from those sessions was the most direct and immediate music Jones has ever recorded.
Baby shimmers with Americana instrumentation and a melody of pure pop-rock. Not surprisingly, triple j and Double J have both previewed the track prior to its release.
"I feel like this is the beginning," Jones says. "The other stuff was just playing around finding my voice, having music as a tool for creativity or therapeutic purposes.
"Now I've got more of a vision about what I wanna produce, work on in the studio and arrange.
"I'd love to re-record some of those live recordings and give them the production they deserve."
Baby was written two years ago when Jones was in the shower reflecting on a broken relationship. It's a song about demanding respect and calling out misogyny as Jones borrows the Madison Avenue hook, "don't call me baby."
In the past Jones has made her name through her soulful and ethereal vocals, which straddle jazz and blues effortlessly. Her haunting performance on All My Love is simply stunning.
But Baby required a different approach. Jones channels The Jezabels' Hayley Mary and The Preatures' Isabella Manfredi in a performance that maintains her sultry swagger.
"We often play different arrangements of my music to suit the environment, with this song it was a pop song from the get go," she says.
"It had a lot of sass, it had a lot of drive, it has a strong message and it deserves to be sang with that sass and that strong delivery.
"There's no other way to sing the chorus, it's loud and in your face. You have to let it rip."
Jones' plans for the single and any future recordings have naturally been affected by COVID-19. In February she moved to Sydney to work as a full-time au pair, which also provided greater networking and performing opportunities.
However, the coronavirus pandemic led to the job ending prematurely and Jones opted to return to Newcastle last month.
"Things were so uncertain, so I thought it's always nicer to be around your family and band together with your family, friends and community," she says. "Who knows when this will all end."
Georgie Jones' single Baby is out on Friday. You can follow her on Instagram @georgiejonesmusic or on Bandcamp.
Josh Leeson
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
