DAVE'S DIARY - 29/10/2018 - JADE HOLLAND CD REVIEW
2018 CD REVIEW
JADE HOLLAND
DREAM WILD (MGM)
JADE DRIVES THROUGH AND SOUTH
“I feel that 2 am buzz on my phone/ the one that always tells me that you're driving home/ couple minutes pass and there's one more/ hoping that I'm weak enough to open my door/ but I can't let you in/ this ain't no drive through/ this ain't no midnight stop/ this ain't no getting what you want and heading round the block.” - Drive Through - Jade Holland-Bruce Wallace-Sinead Burgess-Phil Barton.
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Townsville troubadour Jade Holland drove south to Newcastle to purse her career but recorded her second album in Nashville with expat Australian co-writer Phil Barton and Brad Winters.
The Mareeba born singer's first single Drive Through , inspired by a former beau in Castle Hill, Townsville, was written with Barton, fellow expat Sinead Burgess and Bruce Wallace.
“We wrote this song in Nashville after I had come up with a chorus when I was upset and running up Castle Hill in Townsville after a breakup with the guy I had been seeing for over a year,” Holland revealed of the song promoted with a vibrant video filmed in Townsville.
“I had felt like I had been this his muse for quite some time and the line ‘this ain't no drive through' just came to me so naturally as it was so relevant. This song was my letting go and acknowledgment song. I think it's a song that many will relate to."
Barton, also a collaborator with Hunter Valley singer-songwriter Kirsty Lee Akers, is co-writer on seven of 10 songs including title track entrée - salient signpost to spreading wings and chancing heart and soul on her muse.
“I feel like I've completely uncovered myself,” Jade, now 30, explained.
“I'm a stronger singer and I'm an improved songwriter. I'm a changed artist, and I've never felt this good about my music before. The album has a new sound that is true to me as an artist.”
Holland said recording with Barton and Winters enriched her creativity.
“Working with Phil and Brad was an absolute dream come true,” Holland added
“I was so lucky to be able to walk into the studio and just know that everything I was hearing and feeling during the recording process they both automatically knew and we were on the same wave length for the entire thing!”
JADE SEARCHES FOR JACK
“I come to this place on a Friday/ to see if you're still hanging around/ I sit on this stool in the corner/ and drink one more Lynchburg on down/ there's no jack in this bar/ that could ever replace/ this hole in my heart/ dry these tears on my face/ I'm missing you now wherever you are/ there ain't no Jack in this bar.” - Jack - Jade Holland-Bruce Wallace-Sinead Burgess-Phil Barton.
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Jade's romantic rebirth is reflected in rejection of another pretender in equine metaphor in It's You - vast contrast to whiskey solace for a missing man in Jack and search for a new one in Single So Good.
Holland is a mistress of mood swings in romance requiem If I Don't You featuring Ben Earle of The Shires and Dutch courage in That's The Wine .
She uses a decaying house in her freedom dash in Fix This and extends that defiant imagery in Paint This Town .
But Holland is no loser in love - she ignites fire deep within for optimism fuelled finale Smoke Signals.
Holland debuted on stage at 11 in Kuranda and travelled from Newcastle to Townsville for her CD launch.
“ I live in Newcastle now but I'm up and down all the time,” she said.
“I miss Townsville every day. I felt like it would be rude to 80% of my fans in Townsville if I didn't have a launch up there. I'd love to still be living there but there's a lot more venues and there's a bigger live music scene in Newcastle, it's great having the opportunity to play on a more regular basis rather than once a month.”
Holland also obtained her Streetwise motorbike licence in Townsville.
“As an ambassador for Sun City Harley-Davidson , I figured it was about time to get my RE licence so I can join in with events,” she said.
“Not to mention the fact that riding along The Strand would be absolutely amazing. I have always done that ride on the back of my dad's Harley.”
KISSING AND CHEAP COLOGNE
“It's the sound of your voice when you're on the phone/ the combination of your breath and your cheap cologne/ you don't man-scape and you got outta shape/ and I don't really know how to tell you this/ but where in the hell did you learn to kiss/ cause you're all tongue and it's no fun/ and baby I'm done.” - It's You - Jade Holland-Emma Lee-Phil Barton.
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The 2017 Toyota Star Maker Grand Finalist filmed her second Dream Wild video It's You in Nashville.
“We hired a beautiful bright coloured home in East Nashville and had a gorgeous orange F150 1985 model truck feature in the clip,” Holland revealed.
“It was an incredible experience working with producer Randy Schaffer in Nashville. He had some incredible ideas and we worked really well together. “
Holland said the song is inspired by having a guy tell her ‘it's not you, it's me' a few years ago.
“So when I was in the recording studio last year writing with Phil Barton and Emma-Lee, they asked me about any funny break ups I had had. So I told them about this.
“And they said what if we write it from a different angle. As in ‘It ain't me, it's you' and jokingly pinpoint the reasons why I was leaving him instead.”
It's a far cry from when she toured China in 2015 as ambassador for Townsville after release of her debut album, Leather & Les Paul.
“The Foshan Autumn Colour Festival was amazing,” Holland revealed at the time of four shows that reached a multi-million audience.
“We played to a crowd of one million, and the show was broadcast live to more than seven million viewers across China, plus we were the first international act to ever play in this Festival. It was extremely humbling and such an unforgettable experience.”
Holland and her band performed to 700 people at Changshu University, 800 students at Foshan Middle School and Artscape Garden that the city of Townsville donated to the Changu Lake Scenic Area Gardens.
“We were absolutely mobbed by the crowd after every show,” Holland said.
“In China, they have small streams of pop music, but it's mostly traditional, folky music that is listened to.
“Even our instruments are different to what they're used to, I think it was a thrill for them to hear something so new. It was great to take country music to a whole new audience and to see how my own material could overcome the language barrier.”
DREAMING WILD AFTER LEATHER & LES PAUL
“I'm a rebel heart, I'm a free soul/ I'm a fire out of control/ I'm a summer kiss on a hot night/ I'm a sparkler lighting up the sky/ dance like no-one's watching/ and I ain't stopping.” - Dream Wild - Jade Holland-Phil Barton.
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Jade released video clips for five singles on her debut album Leather & Les Paul . Holland said her Good Day clip, shot on Magnetic Island, 20 minutes off the coast of Townsville, showcased the beauty of her hometown and skills and talents of locals. The videos for Good Day and fifth single Give In To Me were produced by Townsville director Maddy Voinea. “I love featuring North Queensland scenery in my music videos. In the past, my videos have been filmed from other beautiful locations around the region but we really ramped it up for Good Day to show that it's not just the scenery that's amazing, but the locals too,” Holland said. |
“Producer Maddy did an incredible job of creating this clip that both works really well with the music, and showcases the absolutely perfect Magnetic Island, inviting people to travel over there and explore for themselves.
“I also got to show off some stunning pieces of clothing thanks to dressmaker Kirby McGill, which was amazing and was a great way to give another nod to an extremely talented local.”
The film clip for the album title track Leather & Les Paul , was shot against a backdrop of the Burdekin's iconic cane fires, and acknowledges her country roots with scenes riding a bull at Melville's Farm , Townsville.
Holland said the entire process of filming the video was completely different from previous shoots.
“I've shot a couple of film clips now, but have never had to do anything as crazy as trying to keep my cool in front of a raging fire or hop on a wild animal,” she said.
“For Leather & Les Paul we played it a little more risky. Those cane fires are serious business and the wall of heat at our backs was pretty scary, but when you watch the video, it was definitely worth the danger, the shots are amazing.
“Craig and Ruth at Melville's were a huge help, too, they set up the awesome scenes you see of Star, the bull in the bar and riding a bull is now something I can cross off the bucket list!”