Some songs are irresistible from the first time you hear them and ‘Help Myself’, the new single from Victorian singer-songwriter Jess Parker, is one of those. It is a party, a parade and a manifesto all in one uptempo Western Swing track with shades of blues and Parker’s commanding vocals leading that same parade.

‘Help Myself’ is, says Parker, ‘a feminist barn-stomper about being a woman in a man’s world, learning to be yourself and havin’ fun!’ It’s also having its premiere here today, and you can listen to it by going to https://jessparkermusic.bandcamp.com/track/help-myself

Apart from being a foot-stomping good time, ‘Help Myself’ is also the first single from Parker’s third album, Wholesome Prison Blues, which will be released later this year and will, no doubt, be a worthy companion to earlier albums Death Songs and Kitchen Spirituals (2020), and Bread and Butter (2022).

Parker and her seven-piece band were nominated for Best Regional Act of 2022 by Music Victoria and have performed with Cedric Burnside (USA), CW Stoneking and Tex Perkins, amongst others, and the release of ‘Help Myself’ and further tracks from the album should see them sharing more stages and winning even more fans.