Hot off the back of an excellent Buckle & Boots Main Stage performance comes Jade Helliwell for arguably her finest and certainly her most commercial single yet with "Smoke"
This has much more of an American feel to it in the intro, which in truth could be from any one of a hundred other songs, fortunately that is soon forgotten and the real magic begins as Jade opens the vocals with the first of many eminently quotable lines, in fact it would probably be easier just to list the whole song!
"You haven't been picking up your phone
and you said you need time alone
Call me crazy but I thought that meant
you'd be spending it on your own"
There's a certain restrained rage to Jade's vocals which take on even more serious overtones as she fires out
"Maybe you could help me out - I need an answer and I need it now
Cos everybody is saying there's a game that you've been playing
The truth is getting way too loud"
It all sets things up perfectly for a glorious chorus, complete with section purpose built for a crowd singalong!
"There's no smoke without a fire, there' no lies without a liar
Rumours come from observation, it ain't harmless conversation"
leading to the great line
"You say that they're only stories but sometimes fiction is a fact"
The second verse see Jade outline her position of what she expects, even after a "couple of months"
and there seems real conviction in the delivery of the lines
"Right now I'm hurting, cos of all the things I'm learning"
The bridge sees Jade venting her frustrations
"The ashes cover all your clothes - the truth always burns those darn big holes"
With a perfect little guitar break this single is almost faultless and we'll defy you not to be singing along by the time you hit the chorus for the final time.
"Smoke" is released Sept 17th but you may as well hit the pre save button below now!!!
Jade will also be at the Green Note Tuesday 8th September supporting Candi Carpenter
Jade will also be with Kezia Gill on The Girl Country Tour
