Rebecca Jade / The Jade Element
San Diego, California, United States | SELF
Music
Press
The Jade Element – s/t
A superb mix of soul, funk, jazz and ambient touches, the Jade Element’s debut is a knee deep in singles. Favorite track here is “Time Never Met (With It’s End),” perhaps the most pop edged of the tracks, but the group doesn’t put a wrong foot forward on the ten tracks here. Fans of downtempo R&B tunes, or Portishead, will love this disc. Extremely well arranged, producer Anthony Molinaro (who also plays bass and keyboards, as well as co-wrote the material) didn’t scrimp when it came to putting musicians together, and it shows, The first thing I thought when I popped the disc on the player was, “Wow, those are real strings.” Sure enough, checking the album notes shows a four piece string section on the track “Carried Away.” Things like that make a huge difference. Vocalist Rebecca Jade, turns in a great performance, but there are over are almost two dozen musicians contributing to the overall effort.
Recorded and mixed at White Horse Recorders. Engineer / Mix Alan Sanderson. www.thejadeelement.com - San Diego Troubadour
Album Review: The Jade Element
By Peggy Oliver
Anthony Molinaro, Alfred Howard and Rebecca Jade are more than well acquainted with each other through their work with several San Diego based bands. Molinaro and Jade worked alongside the soul/jazz band Super Magnetic, while Howard was the rapping front man with the K23 Orchestra. Pooling all their musical resources after years of experience sharing many stages in the same city, the trio eventually decided to join forces to birth yet another band. Their unique journey began about a year ago in Molinaro’s recording studio. The results are a fascinating mix of neo-soul, gospel, jazz, pop and rock rolled up in a sonically infused package. Dubbed The Jade Element, inspired by lead singer Rebecca Jade’s namesake, the trio releases their self-titled and self-released debut disc. This ten-track excursion might remind those of the popular trip-hop duo from the nineties, Portishead. Yet with The Jade Element, there is a more soulful substance. Jade’s elastic vocals and Howard’s poetic contributions are supported by Molinaro’s funky electronic beats and bass lines and colorful atmospheric backdrops augmented by sometimes innovative orchestrations.
“Carried Away” and “Back and Forth” swims in lush strings, electric piano and glittering guitars but sprinkled with neo-soul savoir faire. There are plenty of shifting percussive shades from Molinaro and Michael Atesalp that attractively frames “Hour Glass.” But where The Jade Element starts to gain full steam is on the latter tracks; thanks to Jade reaching further into her vocal bag of tricks. “Time Never Met (With Its End)” begins with a lullaby-like acoustic piano before kicking over into drum and bass mode. Murky keyboards, sitar and gospel choir may be an unconventional recipe, but those qualities on “Tomorrow” perfectly match Jade’s vocal personality. The Jade Element takes a stab at experimentation with “Escape,” where Jade hovers between a neo-soul vibe and alternative rock. Blues, R&B and gospel collide on the closing piece “River Runs Deep” with a rousing finale from Jade and the background vocalists.
After several listens of The Jade Element, the musicality is quite evident and bold. Yet the soulful tidbits from Jade on the first half -- even though they have an inviting cool factor to them -- are a bit too reserved. Thankfully she lets loose towards the end making The Jade Element a decently worthwhile year long investment from some hard working musicians representing San Diego.
Peggy Oliver
The Urban Music Scene - The Urban Music Scene
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
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Bio
~The Jade Element~
The Jade Element began as a studio collaboration between producer, lyricist and vocalist, carefully crafting a blend of RnB, Trip Hop, Neo Soul, and Latin Dub styles into a unique sonic cocktail. These sessions led to the creation of The Jade Element, led by vocalist Rebecca Jade, and the debut of the self-titled LP (released in July of 2011).
The live show for The Jade Element is a deeper exploration of the textures laid out in the LP. The players in the Live Show are all top-notch jazz, funk, and soul session mainstays whose own musical vocabulary enhances the already lush sound. The band is in regular rotation at Anthology.
~Rebecca Jade~
Rebecca Jade is a vocalist that has been involved with music for most of her life. Growing up in a musical home, she has been exposed to a vast assortment of artists, genres and styles. Her own mother was a professional jazz singer in Puerto Rico. With such influences, it seems a natural progression that Rebecca has followed in her footsteps.
Rebecca has been described by many to have a chameleon-like quality to her voice, yet she has been blessed with a unique sound unlike anyone else. Music lovers express how her singing induces a genuine feeling within them. Many have stated that she has the ability to transfer the emotion of each song to her listeners.
Rebecca has been singing professionally since returning home from college. She has performed with the most sought-after musicians in San Diego and Los Angeles and at some of the best venues in Southern California. Rebecca’s versatility has allowed her many unique opportunities to perform, from Rev. Jesse Jackson's 2009 Rainbow PUSH Coalition charity gala and Drew Brees' Celebrity Golf Tournament, to private events for Antonio Gates and Jenny Craig; She is a member of the House Band for Anthology (www.AnthologySD.com), one of San Diego’s most popular and world-renowned live music venues; She is one of the Sirens of Siren’s Crush (www.SirensCrush.com), a modern dance cover band who opened for the likes of Boyz II Men, Erykah Badu, Blues Traveler, Vanilla Ice, and the late Teena Marie; She has performed multiple concerts at the Baked Potato, Spaghettini’s, and the House of Blues; She’s performed with Mindi Abair, drummer Chuck Morris, and living legend Norman Connors; She has performed the National Anthem for many professional and collegiate athletic organizations; She received vocal training from Doc Holliday; She also manages and is a singer in her own R&B, soul and funk band, called The Soultones (www.TheSoultonesLive.com).
Rebecca has over 18 years of recording studio experience. She sings background vocals for other artists and is currently promoting her debut original music project, The Jade Element, which was released last year.
Rebecca also works as an actor, having done a variety of work, such as a commercial for Pechanga Casino, a promotional video for Qualcomm, and featured as a singer in an upcoming film, Five Hour Friends (starring Tom Sizemore), that will be released sometime next year.
Rebecca graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Theatre and Performance Studies and has earned her MBA in Marketing from the University of Phoenix. She has also returned back to school, attending Grossmont College, to advance her studies in music and recently started private lessons studying piano and bass.
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