Reviews

Lady Nade
Album: Identity
Label: Self Released
Tracks: 10
Website: https://ladynade.co.uk/

I discovered Lady Nade during lockdown wither her previous album Willing. She was the first gig we saw in the socially distanced world, have seen her play her own music and her superb Nina Simone tribute show many times since so, at least for me, this album has been eagerly awaited for a long time.

Was it worth the wait, absolutely. There are changes in style and production which probably explains the wait, but this is the album she was born to make. Her press describes her as "an eclectic blend of folk, soul, Americana and roots" and while the folk and Americana tag would have been true of her older work, and is still there in the mix, the emphasis is now firmly on the soul; musical and personal. The title song kicks in with a funky fuzz guitar and a clear style statement of self.

One of Us is a song she has been playing live for some time, but on record has morphed into a Muscle Shoals style monster. Hammond, Rhodes, and Tambourine have transformed it from the slightly diffident acoustic live version I've heard before. It's also part of what seems to have been a highly fruitful writing partnership with Boo Hewerdine, who contributes to many of the songs here. Rainbow leans into the folk side of her music, with strings filling out the sound without drowning out the message that we all contain contradictions and using the colours if the rainbow to highlight that. "I need chaos; I need calm. Wanna be alone, held in your arms. It might be winter; it might be spring. I need nothing, I want everything. Here I am, I'm a rainbow."

"Eclectic" still covers the sound, with the jazzy Waiting for a Train, followed by the soul ballad Powerless, and the album's centrepiece Sober. The Stax flavour of the music just radiates joy. Lady Nade has been open about drink, but this song shows the light at the end of the tunnel with one of the most infectious songs you'll hear this year. "I've been drinking since I was a teen. My mother's sister drank it fast and neat. I've spent time trying to get clean Now I wanna make up for the way that I've been."

It's a cliché to say that there isn't a bad song on the album, but to make an album this varied and maintain the quality of writing is something else. After a couple of weeks living with the album, I find a new favourite with every listen. Today it's the Isley Brothers guitar on Stand. Strings suit her voice, and on Smoke and Mirrors she has produced a classic song that her heroine Nina Simone could not have sung better. The bigger production of Identity compared to her earlier albums has rubbed off in a new confidence to her singing.

The album closes with another ballad, Masks and Bloom which both highlight that new confidence in her talent, and ability t share her message. She says "Identity exists because of the love that surrounds me. I hope these songs offer a safespace for anyone who has ever felt they had to hide parts of themselves to belong. We all deserve to be seen, heard and celebrated for who we are. This album is a reflection of what it means to be human, and to stand in our own truth." With Identity Lady Nade moves alongside Allison Russell as one of the supreme artists blending Soul, Folk ad American into something unique. It's going to take something extraordinary to beat this to album of the year.

Tim Martin

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