From
THE PRESS
Tom Robinson - BBC 6 Music
What a voice!
UK Americana is not generally my thing, but to my ears that genuinely does have the ring of Arkansas...
Reviews of Bewilderland
RnR Magazine
A guttural and deeply twanged
slice of Americana.
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Jack Cade’s voice: a cavernous and oh so deep, heavyweight tone which is utterly spellbinding and charging with dark energy right through all 10 tracks.
The entire album is infectious, first-class songwriting (loosely Americana/folk/Alt Country with lots of twists) resulting in a hefty group of stellar songs.
Despite the connection with the aforementioned Johhny Cash, Jack's music has more than a passing resemblance to folk and occasional blues, especially with some of the guitar backing. Never overcomplicated but perfectly balanced to the strong voice and lyrics. "Roll Them Dice" is a perfect example of both Jack's vocals and his musical abilities. This could have been delivered straight from Folsom Prison.
‘Choose Your Condition‘, is a bold “call to recognise and challenge the conditioning we all experience and decisions we make based on this conditioning”. With its moody, spaghetti western-style intro and Cade’s deep and imposing baritone sound, it asks many serious questions, culminating with a twist on the chorus line: “And we all are shouting to the heavens, but no one ever listens, why don’t you slow it down and ask the question, why?”
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Donker is het gemoed en donker is het geluidsbeeld. Maar er is ook ruimte voor een moment van verlossing van dat alles op The Glitter Around Your Eyes, een duet met Helen Muggeridge. Ze is ook present op Where The Sun Meets The Moon dat wordt ingeleid door donkere vioolstreken van Hana Piranha.
Jack Cade cuts a fuller sound on his latest album carving a deeper niche in the UK independent music scene. A thoughtful stare from the sketched portrait on the cover coupled with a title leading down a route of curiosity sets the scene before the evocative baritone vocals and overarching sound creates a foothold. A smart rule for despatching a record into a crowded listening space is to fire the first barrage with your strongest hand. As appealing as the summative listen to BEWILDERLAND is, lead track 'Change Your Condition' reigns supreme over its counterparts to the extent of potentially becoming a signature song for both artist and any realm infiltrated. A strong structure yields a sincere message delivered in the vein of Johnny Cash wandering into a Spaghetti Western set.
How to give a feel? The usual comparisons of Cade’s expressive baritone are: Waits, later Cash, Beefheart, Cocker (Joe, not Jarvis). Well, yes, but … there’s the also the Cohen gentleness on a Cade track such as ‘The Glitter Round Your Eyes’ and, overall, I hear more kinship in Cade’s music with the Nick Cave of, say, ‘The Weeping Song’ or ‘Red Right Hand’ than any of the more frequent references.
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But above any of these, what I hear in Jack Cade’s music is Jack Cade – unique as a songwriter and interpreter of his own songs.
There are influences of country and americana sounds running through the song arrangements and Cade gives a strong vocal performance that hints at Johnny Cash and Nick Cave in the delivery.
The album will pop when played live, and the speakers will shake to Jack’s low frequency vocals.
La prima sensazione che mi ha dato Bewilderland, subito in apertura, è che lo spirito di Johnny Cash si sia reincarnato in Jack Cade. Mi riferisco al tardo Johnny Cash, quello delle magnifiche American Recordings sessions, officiate da un ispirato Rick Rubin. L’impostazione della voce e l’arrangiamento, soprattutto nel brano iniziale, Choose Your Condition, sono ispirati al "Man in Black", senza ombra di dubbio. Ma questo non vuol dire che il lavoro di Jack Cade sia una semplice imitazione, tengo a precisarlo, perché nei restanti episodi c’è una certa originalità e anche altre fonti di ispirazione non scontate che emergono più o meno esplicitamente.
Reviews of The Death Throes of a Jaded Empire
FOLK RADIO
This is an astonishing record. Barely classifiable under Americana, the clear nods toward country leavened by similar appropriations from folk, the blues and rock.
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Should your tastes run to the bleak, and you enjoy monochrome lithographs, frock coats and the book of revelation, liking the idea of ragged pants prophets roaming desolate wastelands, these magnificent dirges should give be right up your street. With a voice aged in barrels of rot-gut, Jack Cade sings with fire and brimstone chasers, in a rumbling baritone that could give any other man in black a run for their money.
RnR Magazine
Possessor of a voice that is deep and rough-hewn, Cade wades through the nine songs on The Death Throes Of A Jaded Empire like some Old Testament seer.... Towering over the album is the cavernous voice of Cade, which, on a song like "Bruises', can almost seem tender, like a biblically bearded patriarch offering sage advice. 'Deep Blue Sea' is in a similar vein although here there is a sweetener in the delicate arrangement of what is, ultimately, a song suffused with hope, while 'The Awakening' is somewhat apocalyptic with its massed string section.
Jack has a voice like a fine bourbon,smooth and silky with a deep kick. Jack gives us quality songs with a quality voice, that transcends into a quality album.
You'd be mistaken,whilst listening,that Jack hails from the South coast of England and not the in the deep South of the USA.
His voice and songs belong in a hard hitting tv series like Sons Of Anarchy or True Blood.
The album flows seamlessly from one track to another and you sometimes think that Johnny Cash has been brought back from the dead.
"What's the point to wax lyrical and sing/If the words that we say don't mean anything", he asks. But these words are tempered in the fire of commitment and determination, and while the old empire may be in its death throes, Cade offers the glimpse of a genuinely true brave new world.
The Englishman's growling, sometimes slurred, baritone voice are of someone looking at the real world without a filter. Cade says “This album explores the growing realization that a lot of what I have taken for granted as being truth is far from it in my little bubble of life.“
Cade is tot het besef gekomen dat de geschiedenis is geschreven door de winnaars. De ongemakkelijke waarheid wordt begraven of weggepoetst. Eerst ga je daar in mee, maar als je dieper graaft kom je tot andere inzichten. Een Awakening noemt hij het. Het brandt als vuur door zijn botten (Some Bruises Don’t Fade) en dat is nodig om de angsten achter je te laten. Basaal als het vroegste werk van Billy Bragg, ook al is het daar verder qua klankkleur totaal niet mee te vergelijken. Met Ben Cos-Smith op dobro, Hana Maria op viool en Adam Perry en Mark Tudor op drums. Nog geen half uur muziek overigens.
The music of Jack Cade emerges from an atmospheric mist of dry ice to create an instant impact upon the ears of a curious crowd. This crowd may or may not be unsuspecting, but some spadework is likely to be the order of the day to dig deep into the rich seam of an artist as distinctive as you are likely to come across on the roots circuit. Don't expect an easy ride if you fancy taking pot luck with a new artist, and this album is certainly not for the faint hearted. From the implied message in its title, THE DEATH THROES OF A JADED EMPIRE is a vehicle to lament on how things aren't really what they should be and maybe a spot of songwriting therapy can free the soul. Make no mistake this will be filed among the darker elements in your music collection, yet that corner can be awash with riches.
Jack Cade? You’ve likely never heard of him; but if this exact album had been released in the same guise by Johnny Cash, Tom Waits or even any North American from One Stump, Hicksville it would be lauded to and from the rooftops by the National Press; but it’s not and they won’t; so it’s left to the likes of RMHQ to tell you to get on board the Cade Train ASAP …. you can thank me later.
Recorded during lockdown ‘The Death Throes Of A Jaded Empire’ is a dark and brooding album for these dark and brooding times. Cade’s voice isn’t always an easy listen, but the always interesting and imaginative lyrics make this an album that stands out from the crowd.
“It ain’t easy” he muses on the opener, “to peel the fake from fact and see the reasons for the act”, except that’s what he proceeds to do for the next nine songs. “Another man made travesty, blamed upon what can’t be seen” is typical of the acerbic, brilliance here.
And it also must be said that as much as this – ostensibly – is acoustic, it’s the fabulously well-picked out music that you notice after a listen or two. Ben Cox-Smith on Dobro Slide Guitar, Hana Maria on Violin, Adam Perry and Mark Tudor with some drums and percussion are all integral to the mix.
His work is based on truth, honesty, and observations of the world around him. Often mixing hard-hitting lyrics with his gravel-edged voice, his sound is unique and definitely requires the attention of the listener...
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Born out of Cade’s own need to re-evaluate some long-established thoughts and theories he once knew as truths, combined with the impact of current events ‘The Death Throes of a Jaded Empire’ is a remarkably well-crafted album that’s full of deep insight into the complexities of the human condition. Crucially, never judging, yet always observing.
In de titels van songs als ‘Saviours And Sinners’, ‘Night Terrors’ en ‘Some Bruises Don’t Fade’ is de huidige boodschap van Cade gemakkelijk te lezen. Cade verhaalt over zijn thuisland en is weinig trots op de vorderingen van het afgelopen jaar. Great Britain is somewhat living on it’s past perceived glories, much like a washed up Hollywood actor continually recounting tales of the good old days. Er gloort een prachtige scène van een acteur die ver voorbij de uiterste houdbaarheidsdatum is en blijft vertellen over vergane glorie. Everyone is moving on, yet we seem ubable to reimagine ourselves in a better way. Groot Brittannië vastgespijkerd in kristalheldere zinnen.
Bear Bones Reviews
Maverick Magazine - Rob Ramsey - 'Bear Bones' - 4 Stars
...make no mistake about it, Jack Cade has created a stellar album
Maverick Magazine - Rob Ramsey
4 Star Review
A terrific Americana album... Listening to Bear Bones is certainly a fulfilling experience. What’s immediately striking are Cade’s vocals, which are exemplary. When you combine that with songs really standing out, you’re onto a winner, especially when the musicianship is very, very good... ...make no mistake, Cade has created a stellar album.
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Americana UK - Mike Elliott
Jack Cade will never be accused of having a golden throat. Imagine Kris Kristofferson in a heated argument with Tom Waits, Captain Beefheart, and Johnny Cash. If it helps, or just for fun, picture the gigantic yellow bear head that graces the cover of his second solo album, ‘Bear Bones,’ as the singer of the songs within. Once you get it, though, you’ll be glad you stuck around, because ‘Bear Bones’ is one captivating listen...
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...‘Bare Bones’ is not so much a departure for Cade as it is an evolution. He’s learned to channel the dark and acoustic tones of his earlier work into a more accessible sound, yet it remains raw and powerful. By making many of these songs rock-based and hook-heavy (and the songs stay with you long after the album’s over), Cade has guaranteed his music will reach a wider audience without compromise – every artist’s ultimate dream.
Folk and Tumble - Gerry McNally
Bear Bones’ has a great alt-country sound that mixes good rocking tunes with laid back poignant melodic Americana. Cade has a voice that sounds like the illegitimate offspring of Johnny Cash and Tom Waits, and his strong personal lyrics show empathy with everyday feelings and situations. While sounding deceptively bleak at times, the record delivers an upbeat message of hope and encouragement. Such is the quality and depth of the songwriting and music on this record it could be described as Cade’s very own ‘Nebraska’.
RnR Magazine - Neil McLeod
Delivered in vocals that sound like they belong to a grizzled veteran bar singer who has just gargled with whiskey and broken glass before taking to the stage in a Nashville tavern, the voice actually hails from North Kent and has stopped of in Reading en route to his current home in Brighton. Cade uses his real-life English experiences of economic decline and unemployment and marries it to the various musical tropes of mythic Americana, full tales of hard-won victories over life’s injustices, redemption, salvation and hope, in the tradition of Cash, Dylan and Waits,
I love an album that's diverse and Bear Bones delivers on diversity,sometimes you think you're walking down a street full of bars,the next you're in a spaghetti western then you're transported to your porch on a rocking chair just chilling with a beer and the sound of nature.
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I've had the album on a continuous listen since receiving it a few weeks back and every listen just gets better and better.you discover something different,something new and something unique.
...Cade is niet uit op vernietiging, maar kiest voor de schoonheid van de muziek. In ‘Dust’ zit de zanger in de eigen huiskamer en observeert kleine gebeurtenissen. It’s nothing more than dust. De luisteraar vindt schoonheid in een nummer van Cade. Trok Cade in vroegere jaren de fan naar zijn onderwerpen, naar zijn persoonlijke frustraties, op Bear Bones is er ook de rust, mag er genoten worden van de muziek.
Whisperin' and Hollerin' - Martin Raybould
Cade’s gravelly baritone would be well suited to songs of raw-edged nihilism yet these ten new tunes present a man on the side of those who are more sinned against than sinning. Despite sounding like whiskey and cigarettes form the basis of his diet, he errs more towards tender than tough.
Fatea - Mike Davies
...he kicks off with the midtempo Kristofferson-ish 'He Lies On His Side' (thereby prompting the lyric "he don't know which way to turn"), subsequently channelling Cash for his delivery of Dust, echoing John Stewart on the anthemically muscular 'Who Will Be The First To Fall' and Springsteen /Warren Zevon with 'She Got Something To Say.
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The latter's one of the heavier, more muscular and rockier numbers, an approach only revisited on album closer, Stripped (from whence the album title comes), otherwise this is more acoustic and ballad focused, highspots coming with the dobro-shaped 'When You Come Running' and the simple fiddle-waltzing strum of 'Four Letter Word, another echo of Cash in its cowboy campfire tones.
'I saw an excellent church sermon recently... well, I didn't know it was going to be a sermon, nor that the venue was going to be a church, until I got there. A man stood on the stage and sang the Truth for half an hour in blazing baritone to ponderous, melancholy guitar. The congregation of teenage indie kids were transfixed, partly by fear. The man was Jack Cade.' by Luke Paulo 2013
Shakedown Reviews
RnR Magazine - Peter Tomkins - 'Shakedown' - 5 Stars
A melting point of jazz, country and soul like taking a walk down Bourbon Street, drinking in the sounds from all the bars and juke joints.
Penny Black Music - Steve Kinrade
'Shakedown' is a great introduction to the Everyday Sinners, and Cade’s distinctive voice in particular. It is a collection of thought-provoking well crafted songs, superb musicianship, and energy a plenty. But on further, deeper listening, it unveils itself as something of a protest record with astute social commentary, all wrapped up in some damn fine tunes. So it works on both levels, aiming for a shakedown that contemporary society, the world over, desperately needs. Guys, you have a new fan
Folk And Tumble - Gerry McNally
Like Woody Guthrie before him, Jack Cade pulls no punches in his social commentary of current events.
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Utilising their various talents, they’ve delivered a full-blown album of guitar driven passionate country rock music that combined with Cade’s gravel edged voice gives the listener a truly unique experience.
Folking.com - Mike Wistow
The style is vibrant, by turn driving drums, what was recently described to me as the down-and-dirty sound of a dobro, the rhythm guitar of protest songs, almost barroom keyboards and Cade’s vocal – Cash/Kristofferson meets Slipknot. You can’t help but enjoy this music.
Adobe and Teardrops - Rachel Cholst
The songs borrow heavily from protest music of the 19th century, linking the struggles of our great-great-grandparents against the Industrial Revolution (and capitalism as we know it) to the fight against austerity measures today.
No Depression - Rachel Cholst
The Everyday Sinners proudly marches in a long and distinguished lineage of British protest music that combine celebration with hard truth. The chug-a-lug of the bass and nimble rhythm guitars throw back to American roadhouses and gospel churches, but the lyrics are staunch reminders to hurl yourself against corruption.
Real Roots Cafe - Jaks Schuit - NL
Is het folk? Is het rockabilly? Is het country? De muziek Van The Everyday Sinneres leidt tot deze vragen. De liedjes van het gezelschap uit Brighton zijn moeilijk in een hokje te plaatsen. Het beste antwoord is het product The Everyday Sinners een mix te noemen van folk, rockabilly en country. Voeg daar een lik swampblues aan toe en de muziek van album Shakedown is voldoende geëtiketteerd.
Roots Time - Jaks Schuit - BE
In de reeds verschenen recensies van “Shakedown” wordt her en der verwezen naar de vergelijkbare sound van Tom Waits, vermengd met de baritonstem die we vooral kennen van Johnny Cash. Wij zijn het daar niet helemaal mee eens, want wij willen eerder een eigenheid toeschrijven aan de muziek van ‘The Everyday Sinners’, een geluid dat wat ons betreft zeer herkenbaar en ook uniek lijkt te zijn.
Murder of Crows Reviews
Jack Cade makes a virtue of a voice so raw that it almost makes Johnny Cash seem operatic and Dylan the voice of an angel
AmericanaUK.com
R2 Magazine - Jeremey Searle
The musical accompaniment is minimal, allowing Cade's voice to fill the ether in a manner that recalls American masters of the murder ballad like Cahalen Morrison and Eli West. But rather than simply re-creating an American style Cade's subjects and music are absolutely English.
Fatea Magazine - Tony Wilding
12 songs often staring into dark abyss of loss, death, possession, depression, murder and drugs...rise from the depths in the knowledge that each song is in reality a diverse lesson on life's challenges, compassion resting at the heart of the recording, showing example of better times ahead.
Americana UK - Michael Farley
If distinct is what you are after then Jack Cade has it in spades. From the moment he opens his mouth on the opening track "Yella Green Grass" you realise that convention is out of the window. Songs are delivered in a deep growly drawl with Cade making a virtue of a voice so raw that it almost makes Johnny Cash seem operatic and Dylan the voice of an angel
Jack Cade is like a ballsy raid of larynx fire!
Where good is fragile and weeps in gospel existence, bad howls and redemption sparkles in countrypolitan territories. Chemistry of the greatest folklore beasts, are in the genes of his creations.
This Fiery Road Reviews
'Rebel' Rod Ames at From Under
The Basement
Take about two cups of Johnny Cash add a dash or two of Tom Waits, and a smidgen of the psychobilly or punk roots that began molding him years ago, and you have Jack Cade.
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I love this album for so many reasons. It’s honky-tonk or is it? It’s country, or is it? It’s blues, or is it? It continuously keeps the listener guessing. I on the other hand, after hearing the first track, the title cut, “This Fiery Road”, decided not to categorize, but instead, simply enjoy this extremely unique brand of whatever it is.
Amazon.co.uk - Paul Ireland
“A strong debut! By Paul Ireland This review is from: This Fiery Road (MP3 Download) The highest complement I can pay this album, is that it is one that I have been playing almost constantly since I have bought it. And the simple reason is because the strengths of "This fiery road.." lie in well crafted simple songs. All are beautifully arranged and produced, with Cade's band the The Everyday Sinners turning in a masterful performance. There is much to be celebrated here, the hooks on tracks such as Hotter than the Sun will be bouncing around your gray matter sooner rather than later. A particular favourite of mine; The Room could quite comfortably sit on albums by artists such as Lucinda Williams or Paul Currei. Think Eileen Rose sung by Tom Waits and you are on the right lines. Cade has by no means a voice as strong as Waits, but he has some great tunes! All in all, a very enjoyable album.”