quotes of note:
“These songs linger. They heal. They remind us to be present, to let go, to love. And they do it with grace, honesty, and a smoky kind of beauty.”
— Noel Paul Stookey (Peter, Paul & Mary), via Rock Era Magazine, 2025
“Wayne sings with a rare amount of authenticity and empathy that makes it all sound within reach.”
“Mature in a good way, full of effortless, tantalizing melodies, Ancient Door is relaxed and balanced, an album of sonic symmetry.”
“Ancient Door is an impactful display of consistently quality songwriting from Jess Wayne.”
“blissful combination of modern Folk, Blues, easy Jazz and a dash of Americana... stunning debut.”
“Jess Wayne Stuns with Debut... one of the most impressive and notable records of 2016”
“There’s just about everything you could hope to experience with a songwriter’s album in this project; the mellow, the folk, the jazz, the character, the stories, the flawless musicality. There are as many moments of blissful beauty as there are of thought provoking, real-life reflection. The artist’s voice provides a familiar thread throughout the project, there’s a very distinct style to the song writing, and yet musically, there is a vast ocean of sounds and riffs and artistic moments. It’s the kind of album you can switch on at the end of a hard day, to let this whole new world of music and thoughts just wash away your troubles for a while.”
“smooth, cohesive ...deep and chart worth collection of old school retro Americana gold.”