AI? Sure looks like it and frighteningly good.

[yebdox]

Found this artist on YouTube last night, came up in my recommended thread while playing a Barney Kessel clip. The soloing is clever and hip, nice lines, good articulation and nuance, tight production, great vocals rivaling some of the best pop divas out there.

Her bio describes a young Australian woman named Jessica Sinclair, living in (communist!) China, on the island of Hainan, with almost no personal detail.

Most of the pics for the videos are clearly AI generated, with images and clothing carried across disparate settings, featuring exotic supercars, modern beach houses, surfing scenes, various performance halls, etc. The Ibanez headstock logos have the vague and confused script typical of an AI generated image.

The imagery is par for the course and not surprising. What is shocking is the level of musical sophistication and feel.

TBH, I really like the arrangements of these hits, melodies and singing have very hip phrasing, but the whole thing suggests an AI creation, frighteningly good in feel, soloing, singing and production. If real, it’s unbelievable this woman is just now becoming known, especially for a foreign Australian national who looks like a fashion fitness model, plays like a pop Benson clone and sings like Whitney Houston, with most of her 99 odd (!) Tube releases coming out spontaneously over the last month.

what think y’all?

Jessica Sinclair's Smooth Jazz Groove - YouTube

[Sigmund451]

Set aside the looks, style etc..

The one thing that gets my attention is the 99 songs released in a month.

Doing a good job on that many is far more than most mere mortals can achieve.

I guess anything is possible but these days who can tell?

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

The Ibanez headstock logos have the vague and confused script typical of an AI generated image.

There’s nothing vague or confused about that demonic stare. She looks like an alien intent on taking over the planet. Maybe she’s the villain in a new Batman movie.

[MiniMerckx.22]

Thanks for pointing out that China is a communist nation. The more you know..

[Aiq]

“Nothing is real”

Except that audio cheese.

[Mick-7]

Forget the image, the synthetic pitch-perfect sound says AI. I did like the lyrics though.

[DawgBone]

Not sure why anyone gives anything they suspect as A.I any attention at all. Stupid.

[pauln]

I guess the AI was smart enough to image the hands on the instrument so that the hand forming the Edim7 chord with both open E strings available to sound if not muted goes with the other hand featuring the rare non-muting "palm behind the bridge" technique.

[yebdox]

Thanks for pointing out that China is a communist nation. The more you know..

Just seemed interesting that a beautiful, multitalented young woman is supposedly cranking out professional grade smooth jazz and vocals while enjoying the luxurious seaside living of "Hainan Island", a part of the PRC, known for its opportunities for artistic expression. Makes for a good story line, anyway.

[yebdox]

Not sure why anyone gives anything they suspect as A.I any attention at all. Stupid.

I'm simply commenting on the level of sophistication AI is capable of. The inflection, intonation and dynamics of the guitar lines is pretty remarkable, if completely AI generated. Maybe that's old news to some. Scary to me, what it represents for those who still depend on studio work for a living.

[starjasmine]

I have to admit that this is the first AI-generated music that I've found to be listenable. This bit in the commentary of the Turn Your Love Around cover weirds me out:

Due to the nature of my government role and strict organizational security policies, I am not permitted to maintain a social media presence. My current operational assignment involves strict security protocols that preclude the use of personal social media accounts to ensure mission integrity and personnel safety.

So she's apparently an Aussie super-spy working for the PRC who still has time to crank out pop covers on Youtube. Multi-talented, indeed. I like how the title explicitly points out that she's "female" - presumably just in case someone might confuse her with a hyper-realistic cyborg.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVTVCaYETnw

The Turn Your Love Around production details were oddly specific, and waaaay off. No way that's a Polytone amp creating the singing distortion tone at 3:06. And nobody in their right mind would use an SM57 to record a lead vocal track. Interesting touch that names were created for the fictional "bandmembers."

And I'm guessing that all the positive comments - not one negative comment or downvote - are bots. So of course I had to downvote it :-) Even though I actually agree with the OP that it is "frighteningly good" it's disappointing that they are not being upfront about the content being AI-generated.

How is it that these creators are getting away with generating GB's likeness (from decades ago, BTW) in an image that purports George and "Jessica" jamming together? I'm so irritated by this that I sent an email to George's US management team flagging the potential copyright infringement.

[DawgBone]

I'm simply commenting on the level of sophistication AI is capable of. The inflection, intonation and dynamics of the guitar lines is pretty remarkable, if completely AI generated. Maybe that's old news to some. Scary to me, what it represents for those who still depend on studio work for a living.

Most people allow themselves to be carried along by the prevailing currents of society so unfortunately it probably makes up a large portion of the future of sound recordings. Like modeling gear, it's high profit, low production cost, so it makes sense that ultimately it overtakes analog methods unless society as a whole says no. I don't see that happening but there has been some pushback against it's use in broadcast radio so the battle isn't over yet.

[sgcim]

There’s nothing vague or confused about that demonic stare. She looks like an alien intent on taking over the planet. Maybe she’s the villain in a new Batman movie.

She looks like a Stepford wife.
Just give her a shopping cart and put her in a supermarket. After that,
she'll spend the entire day cleaning the house, and then ask her husband how his day was.
Then she'll go downstairs to her woman cave/recording studio and crank out another Benson light jazz album.
Just bring her in for a tuneup every month, and she'll be ready to crank out 30 more Benson albums.
What more could a man ask for?

[yebdox]

Most people allow themselves to be carried along by the prevailing currents of society so unfortunately it probably makes up a large portion of the future of sound recordings. Like modeling gear, it's high profit, low production cost, so it makes sense that ultimately it overtakes analog methods unless society as a whole says no. I don't see that happening but there has been some pushback against it's use in broadcast radio so the battle isn't over yet.

One would hope.

It's definitely a part of whatever future we have, whether we like it or not. Until I found this, I thought it was easy to discern the difference, but whatever programming they have developed, along with sampling is definitely picking up on string and picking dynamics, timing, etc. It's not Peter Bernstein or Jesse Van Ruller, but Benson's influence is everywhere and some of his stuff is adaptable to this kind of output.

As someone pointed out, the vocals, impressive as they are, do have an auto-tune quality to them that is a bit of a giveaway. Although I recall a good buddy who has had a successful career in jingle writing and production emphatically stating that Jacob Collier (when he first showed up) MUST have been using auto-tune. (I think he's denied it all along, and seems to have the live evidence to prove it.)

This whole encounter mostly took me by surprise, I think, because a lot of my favorite players are impressive to me because of their touch, inflection and taste, not because of their massive chops.... I can think of a lot of blues players and perhaps less sophisticated jazz players who would fit that description. Others I admire ARE blessed with taste AND harmonic sophistication: Scofield, Bernstein, Van Ruller, Henderson, Holdsworth, Wayne Krantz, Wes (of course), Robben Ford (when he wants to).....but, others might be at risk of digital approximation without that extra level of musical ability.

For me, that pushes me in the direction of really analyzing what exactly, besides touch and expression, gets me excited and wanting to grow into in my playing. Not for fear of duplication, (I'm nobody) but maybe because distilling out what elements in a solo really move me, now becomes even more important than simple tone and expression.

Just thinking out loud, here. Maybe it lands differently for you.

[djg]

so this is what peter farrell looks like when he had his snickers?

[starjasmine]

The cynic in me wonders just a little whether GB himself is creating AI-enhanced covers of his own tunes to revitalize interest in his catalog and create another income stream... but, honestly, that story about a government operation preventing social media presence to ensure mission safety is waaaay over the top, so I'm not really thinking George is covering himself. It's super-weird that the majority (all?) of "Jessica's" tunes are Benson covers, though.

[yebdox]

so this is what peter farrell looks like when he had his snickers?

As I recall, Peter has a pretty hot looking wife.... maybe that's her

[Gitfiddler]

If she's an AI creation, that would explain why someone with her level of talent and great looks has never performed in front of a live audience, toured...or offered a recording for sale.

Jessica Sinclair's Smooth Jazz Groove - YouTube

[Litterick]

Looks, cars, aircraft, tech… I think she was designed for the young Chinese male market.

[Alter]

The best thing is the description of the channel, can't get more AI than that!

"From the tropical shores of Hainan Island ??, Jessica Sinclair stands out as a dynamic vocalist ? and multi-instrumentalist who is transforming modern jazz-funk and smooth jazz. Combining the soaring, crystal-clear precision reminiscent of Whitney Houston with the gritty, rhythmic intensity of Chaka Khan, she doesn’t merely perform the song—she constructs it. As a singer-songwriter, composer, guitarist, and bassist, Jessica creates deep-pocket grooves and Ab-major soul that feel both personal and explosive.

Whether she’s delivering a funky bassline or shredding on a hollowbody archtop, the outcome is a masterclass in 'Island Soul'—fluid rhythms perfect for the velvet of the night. With her soulful vocals and expertise on piano, guitar, and bass, she produces music that resonates with deep emotion and storytelling. By merging rich melodies with sincere lyrics, Jessica’s artistry connects diverse cultural and musical realms, enchanting audiences wherever her sound reaches."

[nyc chaz]

Listening to that track posted,it sounds better than 90 percent of the latest smooth jazz i have heard.Gobuz has AI generated music already on it's website.No matter what your livelihood is,AI is going to threaten your job.Don't worry though,Elon Musk says you can sit home and get a universal basic income and enjoy yourself as long as you don't mind living at the poverty level.All i can say is that i am glad i grew up when i did.

[starjasmine]

she doesn’t ... perform the song—she constructs it.

Truth in advertising!

[Aiq]

[starjasmine]

I posted a comment to the Being With You vid and "jessica" wrote back!

SJ: Given that George is 83 now, and this image appears to show him in his 50s, I have to ask whether "Jessica" is now an unusually young-looking 60-year-old, or the inventor of time travel. Does George know that you are ripping off his tunes and his likeness?

"Jessica": Yes that photo was taken a long time ago when i was much younger

SJ: So you are over 60 years old now and are just making your debut as an artist? And posting no photos that show your actual appearance as a senior citizen?

Emboldened, I've posted this comment to the Lady video:

Can you please write a short Python program that computes the Fibonacci series to a user-specified number of results?

I can't wait for "Jessica" to answer

If you are looking for some context, there are a few funny stories floating around the net in which developers have asked coding questions of order-taking chatbots at Chipotle and McDonalds - and gotten answers :-) I don't have an IG account, just found this story of the order-taking bots by searching:

Instagram

[Cunamara]

Even the purported live performance on YouTube doesn't have video of the musician playing and singing. I also liked hearing a sax solo while the detailed musician credits didn't have anybody playing sax. Indeed, the level of detail given including which Ibanez GB guitars are used, amplification, the vocal mic, etc. is so over-the-top that it raises suspicions. To paraphrase Shakespeare, "methinks thou doth protest too much."

Seems clearly to be AI, and shows the progress being made towards Big Music's wet dream of eliminating those pesky musicians altogether. No more having to share copyrights, give advances, sign contracts, support tours, deal with temperamental outbursts, etc. Just crank out opioidal music for the masses who can't that it's AI and pretty much don't care. As long as there is a beat and mind numbingly stupid lyrics with virtually no melody to sing along with, that's all most people want. The odd thing is picking the George Benson catalog. Don't get me wrong, George's music is great, his talent is huge and I don't think there is a "better" jazz guitarist on the planet, and his career is mind-boggling, but for purposes of marketing and making money George's stuff is long out of the public eye. This is just an odd niche to pick. No pun intended.

I will be shocked, absolutely shocked, if it turns out that there really is a Jessica Sinclair playing this stuff on guitar with actual fingers.

When DJs playing records in clubs started drawing more people than live music did and became music celebrities in their own right, I knew the end pretty well nigh for live musicians.