Jadea Kelly - Roses (2022)

Toronto, Canada. The first thing you notice about Jadea Kelly on Roses is her voice. It’s an amazing instrument that reflects longing yet can also convey joy. It’s described as a combination of Patsy Cline and Feist that puts her in some fantastic company, yet I’m not sure it comes close to really hitting the nail on the head when it comes to the essence of her vocals.

While she now calls Los Angeles her home, most of her new album Roses was recorded in Toronto with four different producers, yet it all feels like a single piece; that’s no easy task.

“Any Old Boat” has a rough-hewn quality reflected in the guitars and dobro still when she sings, “Any old boat will do/ long as it’s me and you” you feel not only the truth in the lyric, but she reads the lines in so many different ways you begin to understand a bit of the magic she unleashes. The banjo at the heart of “10 Roses” avoids a country feel as it rises and falls on the strength of keyboards that refuse to dominate the proceedings, leaving Kelly’s voice to do that.

Reflecting on the role of her music, much of which was created during the endless days of the pandemic, Kelly says, “Music has the ability to lift and create impactful reflection and change. I haven’t moved mountains, but I like to think that my music provides calm for my listeners” and at points you do feel as if you have been wrapped up in a blanket, safe and warm.

There are places where it becomes clear this is a woman who hasn’t always had things easy. Love doesn’t always follow a simple, straightforward path. Things always seem to have a tendency to get complicated, which is what makes the understated musical pathway of “Stupid Goddam Face” so compelling. When Kelly lets it be known, “Who cares how it started/ I’m not brokenhearted/ Then I get to see your stupid goddam face”, you start to understand just how chilling love can be when things have turned.

Yet for every “Stupid Goddam Face”, there’s a song like “Happy” celebrating freedom and the joy that comes from a musical path that hasn’t been charted out in minute detail. What becomes clear is just how much Jadea Kelly is willing to find the pathways to joy on Roses. Having settled into her new life in California, she’s committed to the health and happiness that make life worth living. More power to her.