Jackie Bristow has had a career on a continuous upward trajectory, since being discovered at the tender age of eight, in her primary school's choir. In the time since then, she relocated to Australia, and then on to Nashville in the USA, regarded by many as that nation's "music capital". Jackie's career has gone from strength to strength, having released five well-received albums since 2002. American Songwriter describes Jackie as "crafting some of the most beautiful, compelling Americana today", and she has also been lauded by US critics as "One of New Zealand's most talented musical imports". Her thoughtful, soulful folk-pop style has helped her win support slots with some big names in music, including Art Garfunkel, Renee Geyer, Bic Runga, Mark Seymour, and Phoebe Snow.

The restrictions imposed by the pandemic in 2020 found Jackie staying in New Zealand again, and also put the brakes on a planned NZ-wide tour. This combination of circumstances led to Jackie partnering with Turn Up The Music, a Queenstown-based trust aiming to improve lives through music, and with Youthtown, a non-profit organization designed to empower Kiwi youth, to develop SongCatcher, a programme designed to help tweens and teens learn to express themselves through songwriting.

Summertime is the result of one of SongCatcher's initial sessions. The "Mini Band" consists of Freya Jeffery, Lacey Bristow, Charlotte Martin, and Edie Yandall, who all contributed to/performed on the songs. It would seem that the greater Queenstown region is home to a hotbed of talent, if this is the quality of performer/composer it produces. Whilst the themes of Summertime are exuberantly youthful, the solidness of the songs and the superb performances belie the ages of the group.

 The title track is an ode to a perfect New Zealand summer's day, being captivated by nature's beauty whilst racing each other to jump into the lake. Dreamcatcher continues in a similar vein, with a more fantastical story, including a party on the moon. Into The Deep describes a sub-aquatic quest to find magic potions and special keys, to free their families from a zombie curse... a truly worthy cause. Rainbow Flowers is a track I can certainly relate to, being quite a plant-lover myself. As in the lyrics, being around beautiful plants can help me "forget my worries", and the accompanying music is suitably light, floaty, and dream-like. Lastly, we have Spooky Hollywood, experiencing Halloween in a setting where there are "scary costumes everywhere we go" and "big surprises around every corner", which one could be forgiven for thinking merely describes a regular Hollywood day... a fun juxtaposition of ideas.

Summertime is fun, catchy, and just downright wholesome. It explodes with the joy of youth, and of being caught up in the beauty and wonder of the world around us. It is also aided by being infused with ear-worm hooks, which will have you humming the melodies long after you've stopped listening. From what I've heard here, the band members have potential to have careers like Jackie's. Watch this space, I say.

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