“Mystical Creature” is Jessica Star’s third offering — a shadowy, soul-soothing rock album that opens a portal and dares you to walk through. Thirteen songs; a world unto itself

Recorded in the magic-soaked soil of Oakland, California — the city where Jessica first drew breath — this album marks a full-circle return. A homecoming of spirit and sound. With a rich tapestry of cello, fiddle, harp, and full rock band power, the album pulses with beauty, ache, and celestial grit. Layered harmonies rise like ghosts, wrapping each track in velvet and fire.

Produced by Winter and co-produced by Jessica herself, this is her most intimate and spellbinding work to date. Anchored by standout tracks like “The River,” “Wild Purple Irises,” and the storm-born rocker “Wesa,” Mystical Creature doesn’t just play — it haunts.

This isn’t just an album. It’s an awakening.

This is where the journey began. My first album — conjured into being at the legendary Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, 1995. The walls there held echoes of giants, and I stepped into that sacred space guided by two of them: Bob Matthews, the sonic architect behind The Grateful Dead, and the late, great John Kahn — bassist, mystic, and heart of The Jerry Garcia Band.

The lineup reads like a page torn from a rock and roll spellbook: Mario Cippolina on bass (Huey Lewis and The News), Donny Baldwin on drums (Jefferson Starship), Pete Sears at the keys (Hot Tuna, Jefferson Starship, Moonalice), Ho Young on guitar (The John Kahn Band) — And behind it all, a full orchestra of strings and horns, rising like a storm behind the songs.