Gilded [LP with Digital Download Card]

by Jade Jackson

Overview

Gilded is the debut offering from California singer/songwriter Jade Jackson. It marks the arrival of a young but sophisticated talent who possesses a keen melodic ear, an innate sense of rhyme and phrasing, and a slow, syrupy sweet, slightly raspy voice to deliver it all in. She's soaked up a wealth of influences, from Hank Williams and Lucinda Williams to Townes Van Zandt, Gillian Welch, Ryan Adams, and more. She has also, especially for such a young person, a deep well of experience from which to draw from and does so with finesse. Gilded was produced by Social Distortion's Mike Ness (the electric guitar sounds reveal this in spades), and he knows empathically when to add punch without allowing sonic clutter. While this record starts out with a wistful, lonesome ballad ("Aden") it doesn't remain there long. Jackson loves classic country, but she also loves punky L.A. country. Her story songs (which are among the strongest things on offer here), such as "Troubled End" and "Good Time Gone," reflect the latter without leaving vintage honky tonk behind. Some of her most intimate songs, like "Finish Line" and "Motorcycle," are manifestos of independence that embody mental and emotional strength. Her protagonists know plenty: they've learned from pain, but they also acknowledge that there's a lot more to explore and experience, and they embrace possibility without caution. "No Guarantees" is a country waltz that accepts love as a transformative and purifying force. Guest Sara Watkins delivers a brief, rapturous fiddle break to underscore its lyric. Closer "Better Off," with its clattering snare and ringing guitars, provides the backdrop for Jackson's assertion that what she needs is not what this particular suitor is capable of offering. Throughout Gilded, Jackson's insistence on freedom reflects her willingness to pay its price. In these songs, she continually offers evidence of a steely backbone balanced by a compassionate heart. She knows life is gritty, but understands that accepting it on its own terms provides the experience necessary to greet beauty and abundance with open arms. Jackson embraces everything on Gilded, and she delivers it to the listener with an album full of songs at once arresting, appealing, and poetic. ~ Thom Jurek

Product Details

Release Date:	05/19/2017
Label:	Anti-
UPC:	0045778743513
Rank:	74252

Tracks

1. Aden
2. Back When
3. Bridges
4. Finish Line
5. Troubled End
6. Good Time Gone
7. Salt to Sugar
8. No Guarantees
9. Motorcycle
10. Gilded
11. Better Off

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Jade Jackson   Primary Artist,Vocals,Guitar (Acoustic)
Mike Ness   Primary Artist,Guitar (Electric)
Tyler Miller   Primary Artist,Drums,Percussion
Jake Vukovich   Primary Artist,Bass
Sara Watkins   Fiddle
David Kalish   Piano,Guitar (Tremolo)
Andrew Rebel   Piano,Mandolin,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Pete Lyman   Mastering
Gary Greenberg   Legal Advisor
Mike Ness   Mixing,Producer
Jeff Halbert   Mixing,Engineer
Hilary Okun   Publicity
Xina Hamari Ness   Photography