Room 5 Lounge // Los Angeles // July 9, 2011
This past weekend, Chicago songwriter Jess Godwin sang for the first time in Los Angeles at The Room 5 Lounge. She currently has three CDs available and performed a number of selections from her most recent release, Klutz. Her pop songs are a reflection of her quirky and honest personality as far as relationships are concerned, and those traits were even more prominent after seeing her live performance.
The small, low-key venue worked in her favor as she managed to talk to members in the audience before and during her performance. Her personality was endearing as she seemed to want to get to know everyone in the room.
“I wrote this song before the movie,” she said during her song, “Three Weeks Shy,” a track that could have easily been featured in the 2009 film, He’s Just Not That Into You.
Her incredible vocal ability seemed to skyrocket as she hit notes unimaginable to the human ear. She could have easily sung without an instrument and the audience still would have been impressed, but her piano playing was an added bonus to her already impressive performance.
It takes a lot of courage to go on stage and be painfully honest about one’s self-doubt and awkward habits, but Godwin manages to do it in a completely refreshing way. It was as though she encouraged the audience to embrace their “nerdy” selves and own up to their faults during tough circumstances in life. Sometimes laughing at yourself can be the best remedy in an awkward situation.