There are a lot of us out there that are always keeping our eyes on the horizon looking for the next “Big Thing” to come out of Portland.

Many of us keep our ears buried in indie rock acts, and this is certainly a safe bet here in the North West, but sometimes I fear that we are letting some amazing music slip past us.

When Courtney Jones and her crew of people got ahold of me, I did what I usually do, I went to her Myspace profile. The first thing to pop out of my speakers was the song Awake & Dreaming, the title track for the album. I was hooked. Now I need to make something clear here. I don't usually let myself get sold on an act based on one track off of their album. Too many memories of buying an album when I was a kid because of one song I heard on the radio, then finding out that the rest of the tracks are all rubbish. This wasn't the case with Miss Jones' music at all.

I immediately asked them to ship me an album. I don't know about you, but I really just have to have the disc in hand, jacket to look over, and know that I am hearing the music exactly the way the artist intended.

Well I had the perfect opportunity to listen to this album this weekend. It got a spin as I headed out to the coast, then a couple times while I was there and again on the way back. During the trip, listening to the album, I got a real sense that I was actually getting to know Courtney. There is a nakedness in her writing and a personal note that got my attention immediately.

Like other critics that have reviewed this album, I saw some similarities with other female pop singers, but like other greats, Courtney Jones' music has a very individual sound to it. When her songs come up in the shuffle or on the radio, you will have no problem knowing exactly who you are listening to, and this is one of the things that I think drew me to her music in the first place.

Courtney's voice is another treat. Ranging from wiser than her years to youthful and bright, Courtney uses her voice to move the music along in just the right ways.

Beyond the singing comes more surprises. Courtney of course is playing the piano for the album, and provides a beautiful talent to her music, but behind her on guitar is Peter Malick who is known in conjunction with another great voice in the pop world, Norah Jones. Peter Malick also produced Awake & Dreaming. Yet another opportunity to name drop is the Mix Engineer, Mark Needham, who has worked on albums for such artists as Chris Isaak, Fleetwood Mac, Bruce Hornsby, Cake, Michelle Branch and the Killers. Last, but not least, she has also had the song Long Way Down placed in the new feature film “Cosmic Radio” which is being scored by Taboo from the Black-Eyed Peas.

As you can see, Courtney Jones is a safe bet for being the “Next Big Thing” out of Portland. You can't draw the attention that has been given to her debut album on accident.

I fully recommend that you get out there and get a copy of Courtney's album, Awake & Dreaming. You can find it on iTunes where she was featured on the front page during August.

Jake gives this album 5 Maple Bacon Bars: