Jesse Dee's influences read like a Who's Who of classic soul music. Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, Etta James, Al Green and many others. But Jesse Dee is not just a student of the classics. He also loves the new wave of rootsy artists -James Hunter, Amos Lee and John Legend, among them. »Soul music has always hit me harder than any other kind of music,'' says the Boston-based Jesse, who has learned his lessons well. He puts a convincing new spin on the subject with his debut solo disc, «Bittersweet Batch,'' which should please anyone with a love of this heartfelt style. Jesse adds a stunning vocal expressiveness and a unique ability to inject and dissect emotions. He delivers it all with a warmth that comes from analog recording and from cutting a lot of the songs live in the studio. Jesse co-produced »Bittersweet Batch'' (consisting of all-original tracks) with Jack Younger in the latter's Basement 247 Studio. Younger has also produced for fellow Boston roots phenomenon Eli «Paperboy'' Reed.