At an arrestingly beautiful show last weekend, songstress Jadea Kelly introduced her new album, Love & Lust, at Toronto’s Drake Underground. Jadea’s third studio record is the follow up to Clover (2013), an equally brilliant collection of songs with themes of nature, love and spirituality.
Love & Lust is outright a breakup album, and naturally focuses on the sentiments and circumstances revolving around infidelity, desire, betrayal and forgiveness. The record is brave, vulnerable, passionate and infinitely graceful.
Jadea’s soft and sultry vocals and gentle acoustic guitar are the conduit for some seriously raw sentiments. Backed by some of Toronto’s finest, the intensity of her band helps to heighten the songs, adding layers of colour and mystique in a tasteful and artistic manner without overshadowing Jadea herself.
Not always an easy task for accomplished players, but her longtime guitar player Tom Juhas is a master of this. He’s seriously talented, but never overplays, instead adding just what each song needs.
Mariah is the catalyst for the entire recording and acts as the tempestuous juxtaposition to the album’s most forgiving song, Beauty, co-written by Canadian artist Peter Katz.
Perhaps Love & Lust’s poppies number, Good Girl, was co-penned by another Canadian singer-songwriter, Robyn Dell’Unto. It’s been receiving regular airplay on CBC and has made it onto their Top 20 this week! Go vote!
Love & Lust has to be one of the most honest, vulnerable and emotional records of 2016. It fleshes out sentiments and circumstances that everyone can relate to in some form. You can purchase it on iTunes and via Jadea’s website. She has launched her post-release tour so check out her tour dates!
This record is a huge step forward for Jadea, who is rightfully earning her place among the best singer-songwriters in Canada right now. You will see and hear more of her to come, but don’t wait; she’s too good to wait on and this video proves it. Southern Souls shot the live video for this haunting and atmospheric second track, On the Water:
Writing this record and the circumstances that led to its inception obviously did a number on Jadea, however the process seems to have been cathartic and healing all at once. It’s impressive that such beauty can come from such sadness. However she got here, I can’t wait to watch the career of this young and talented songwriter continue to develop and unfold.
