by guest contributor Dana Silverman

Since graduating from the Berklee College of Music and making the move to Los Angeles, singer/songwriter Jessie Munro has been building musical momentum. Now she’s converting that energy into a six-track EP, On My Own, to be released later this year.

This batch of songs draws inspiration from a breakup between Munro and her co-writer/producer, but fortunately, the split was amicable. We may not have received a single as deliciously pop as “Under Fire” if the falling out had been more fractious.

A groovy baseline and Munro’s breezy voice infuse the track with soulful flair. The guitar chugs along cheerfully, helping to drive the verses and chorus with understated efficiency and enough presence to satisfy rock-oriented listeners. The beat is infectious, more new wave than neo soul, with handclaps to tie it all together. Another hallmark of a solid pop single is economical production; “Under Fire” has everything it needs and nothing more.

Let’s get back to the breakup for a moment. Munro more pointedly addresses it in the lyrics, but without bitterness or resentment, in a refreshing turn from the jilted protagonists of popular breakup songs. “It’s taken its toll and I’m stretched to the limit,” Munro sings, but the lightness of her delivery and the overall vibe suggests that she came to that conclusion long ago. Now she’s only “under fire for moving on.”

She’s leaving the past behind, and with a track this effortless, Jessie Munro takes control of her future–personally and professionally.

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