Santa Margarita singer Jade Jackson makes Rolling Stone’s Best Country Albums list

Central Coast country singer Jade Jackson capped off a stellar year with more good news.

Rolling Stone ranked “Gilded,” the Santa Margarita-raised artist’s debut album, No. 30 on its year-end list of 40 Best Country and Americana Albums of 2017.

The list ranks Jackson’s album, which came out in May, among those released by the likes of country star Brad Paisley and the legendary Willie Nelson.

“I’m feeling super blessed to have ‘Gilded’ named one of the best Country & Americana albums of 2017,” Jackson wrote on Instagram. “Thank you @RollingStone, this is beyond a dream come true.”

Writer Will Hodge called “Gilded” “one of the year’s most self-assured debuts.”

“Jade Jackson’s ‘Gilded’ ... combines her native California’s storied punk history with her warm vocal rasp, vivid lyrical insights and melancholy melodic lines,” Hodge wrote.

Jackson, 25, honed her singing chops performing at venues around San Luis Obispo County as a teenager.

Her career got a boost after the wife of Mike Ness, Social Distortion’s lead singer, saw her perform during an open mic night at Kreuzberg Coffee Co. in San Luis Obispo.

Ness went on to produce Jackson’s album, and she spent the summer touring with his punk band. Jackson announced in September she’ll play the Stagecoach Festival in Indio in April.

This story was originally published December 8, 2017 at 11:07 AM with the headline "Santa Margarita singer Jade Jackson makes Rolling Stone’s Best Country Albums list."