New Mexico-based Folk, Country and Blues Singer Songwriter Jess Wayne delivers authentic musical rawness and hard-won universal wisdom on love, loss and presence with his empowering new album “Ancient Door”, out June 27th on streaming platforms. “Ancient Door” finds Wayne leaning into his bold signature sound and musical lineage. His genre-blending sound—what he calls Electric Bourbon Folk – Smooth with a Smoky Finish—is a fusion of modern folk, country blues, easy jazz, and a dash of Americana, delivered with wisdom, heart, and soul. Thematically, Wayne’s new release reveals a musician truly reflecting on and unafraid of delving into the subconscious mind’s limitless terrain.
“The new album definitely reflects my move from Southern California and Hollywood to Taos, New Mexico. The sound is a little raw with SouthWest flavors. The album contains songs written both before and after the last album Ride The River, which benefited and matured through the countless times of being played before live audiences. I feel like I’ve gone through a lot of doors and in the process, discovered the “Ancient Door” – the one that takes you in without all the trappings of ego, the one that is timeless and has always been there, awaiting me. I’m not saying I’m always there… but I keep trying.
Many of the songs on this new album are about love, its loss, its pleasures and its hope of true connection. A few are reminders from my subconscious to stay in the now, in the moment. All are meant to heal.“
Fans of uncompromising artists like Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Chris Knight, The White Buffalo and Eddie Vedder will find ample gems within this bold collection of stories, each taking a genuine page from real life. “Supposed To Be Flying” just won an AWARD for Top Songwriter from the Colorado Music Business Organization.
Fans who wish to buy this release directly from the artist, please go to https://www.jesswayne.com/new-album-ancient-door.
ANCIENT DOORS is Jess Wayne’s soul-stirring journey through love, loss, time, and the quiet courage it takes to live fully in the present.
From the haunting sadness of Supposed to Be Flying to the bluesy ache of Come Tomorrow, these eleven self-penned songs invite us to let go of regret and hold on to what’s real, right now.
I was especially moved by Living Small and Wasted Time—gentle but firm reminders to release the weight we carry, whether it’s stuff or sorrow. Don’t Look Back presses forward with a kind of breathless determination, while Time and Love delivers one of the most poignant lines I’ve heard in a while:
“Time doesn’t love you, but I always will.”
That one stayed with me. So did Come On Home and She Takes Me In—both feel like quiet promises of comfort.
But if I had to choose a turning point, I’d say Learn to Love is it. That song feels like a doorway… a benediction, really. And then comes Come Join the Dance—what a way to close. It’s joyful, healing, and hopeful. A reminder that presence and connection are worth celebrating.
Jess Wayne’s Ancient Doors is a quietly powerful album—rich in soul, deeply human, and unafraid to ask the big questions. 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 (Paul of Peter Paul & Mary).
