Jade Jackson releases her new album, Gilded, via Anti- Records. She has spent much of her time in a small California town, working in her parents’ restaurant, jotting down verses and picking out chords during breaks, then venturing eventually to more formal music studies in college before coming back home and startling listeners with the depth and intensity of her music...

You can't argue with the fact that Jade Jackson can pen a good song. Personally, though, I didn't feel that she has the vocals to really do some of the tracks justice. There's a dreamy, almost trippy lilt to her delivery that just spoilt it for me. Tracks like 'Better Off' see her vocals, rather cleverly faded down in the mix. If you listen closely you'll spot that this was smart work on the part of the sound engineer. It's not that Jackson can't sing - she can. It's just that she's not really got the power to carry of what could be a much stronger performance.

The album contains 11 songs (40 min, 39 sec) and I really did enjoy the music. It's just that the vocals need a little bit of spit and polish. Sure it's raw, rough and ready and therefore gives over a feeling of a life lived on the edge, but for an album to embrace and warm to... it takes a little more dedication on the part of the listener.

5

Nick Smithson