Jade Bird’s self-titled debt album is a self-assured, short, sharp burst that immediately shows-off her innate song-writing abilities, that shows she’s not one to be messed around, that shows she’s set for future stardom.
Many of the new tracks are slow ballads. It’s here where she gets her messages across, narrating personal stories of heartache, heartbreak and loss, three keys parts of growing up, which ultimately sees the record act as a coming-of-age album. Bird is defiant, despite the rush of emotion conveyed by her vocal. It’s here, in the newer, slower tracks where she tells the story, where she builds the narrative and connects the tracks together leading to a full, coherent record.
However, on the singles her true emotion comes rushing out. Fierce and fiery, ‘Uh Huh’ and ‘Love Has All Been Done Before’ are absolutely colossal, shrugging off the sadness with ease. She’s empowered here, determined to not be defined or controlled by manipulative men, shrugging them off with sass and angst. The contrasting moods of the slower songs and the champagne singles encapsulate the tug-of-war that comes at the end of a relationship, as you try to move on whilst simultaneously still long for the past.
Despite the glitz and glamour of the singles, it’s two new tracks that catch your attention and keep you pressing replay. ‘Good At It’ tugs on all the emotions. A song about not being good enough, being replaced by someone else and all that entails, you’re left utterly heartbroken, but the delivery is upbeat, heartwarming, melodic – you don’t know whether to smile at the sonic excellence or shed a tear at the raw emotion being displayed by Bird. Furthermore, ‘Going Gone’, is one of the best contemporary country songs around. 2 and a half minutes long, running acoustic strums, a backing-beat reminiscent of Johnny Cash, it’s textbook country. Lyrically, Bird gets her revenge and closure she’s been seeking throughout the rest of the LP. The playful, nursery rhyme-esque counting chorus brings the story to a close, calling out the man in question for his childish actions, he’s out the door, he’s gone, he’s going gone.
Closing on the ballad, ‘If I Die’, seems a shame ultimately however. Following an absolute roller coaster of emotions, the songs slow tempo encourages you to switch off for a second, but only until you’re pressing replay again and get back on the ride.
Clocking in at 35 minutes, the main annoyance of this record is that there isn’t more. It’s a superb first try from a no-doubt future superstar.
