Jade Bird

Jade Bird

Jade Bird

Glassnote Records

The English 21-year-old’s full length debut fills in the gap between traditional singer/songwriter and indie rocker, by taking on the 90s, and doing 90s adult rock very well.

She does so without any of the singer/songwriter vices: whining, melodrama, self-pity, insipidness, bombast. What is here runs the gamut of happy, sad, angry, and wistful.  On “If I Die” she wants to be remembered in ways reminiscent of Laura Nyro’s “And When I Die.” Nyro wanted one child born to carry on. Bird wants to be everywhere in spirit, a presence in every way possible.

The music is folk/rock, but takes a lot of liberties. Some songs are just her on stark acoustic guitar. Some are galloping rockers. On “Uh Huh,” she sticks it, in rage, to an ex for letting his new girlfriend walk all over him, just as he did to Jade. The music lunges at him.

The music and lyrics are a little uneven at times, not really weak, but I just felt I wanted more. Even so, she’s young enough I'll cut her some slack, and this debut is very promising as a whole. What will she sound like five years from now? What will she be writing about? Will she conquer the world? I sure think so!

Andrea Weiss