The Exotic Sounds of Courtney Jaye

The Exotic Sounds of Courtney Jaye is a heady topical cocktail made from pre-Beatles pop, retro-country and a dash of Hawaiian kitsch. Singer/songwriter Jaye is clearly having fun mixing and matching these ingredients, but beneath the album’s sometimes-campy surface are substantial tunes and genuine wit. Jaye leans towards the feisty stance of such ‘60s icons as Jackie DeShannon and Nancy Sinatra, especially on such tart-tongued numbers as “Don’t Tell a Girl” and “Tiger’s Eye.” She dives headlong into tiki-bar ambiance on “Queen of Sabotage” and invokes the shade of exotica maestro Martin Denny on the (mostly) instrumental “Maru Maru.” When she wants to, Jaye can whip up delectable Nashville-style tunes, as evidenced by “Box Wine” and the ultra-catchy “Sweet Ride.” Band of Horses’ Ben Bridwell sits in for a duet on a bubbly cover of the Jesus and Mary Chain’s “Sometimes Always.” Swooning lap- steel guitars and island-accented percussion add to the playfully sultry mood of the tracks. Jaye’s wistful-to-stinging vocal style helps the whole concoction blend.