RESILIENCE
PHOTO COURTESY OF ALAN HESS FOR JESSIE LARK
A RARE SONGBIRD Jessie Lark’s precocious talents continue to make beautiful music By LESLEY GARATE
J
ames Henry knew singers. During his remarkable career, Southwestern College’s former professor of commercial music worked on 90 gold and platinum hits, recorded with Stevie Wonder and Prince, and was nominated for a Grammy with African music legend Miriam Makeba. He said Bonita Vista High School grad Jessie Lark was one of the best singers he had ever worked with. “That lady is Taylor Swift on steroids,” he growled as Lark, the artist formerly known as Jessica Lerner, filled in a harmony on a rousing dance track she had written. Lark blushed at the comparison and changed the subject. She has her own future to write. Her newest EP, “After (H)ours,” includes five new songs by the versatile singer-songwriterguitarist-pianist who starting performing when she was 5 and commenced playing solo gigs when she was a teenager. Like many young singer-songwriters, Lark said she started out as a singer and later earned the hyphenate. “At first I didn’t have the idea of writing
