Jade Day
Of Waking (n / a)
Reviewed by Doug Freeman, Fri., Nov. 16, 2007
Jade Day
Of Waking ...Having stripped down the sound from 2005's Chimera, Jade Day's fourth release allows the Colorado native's swooning falsetto to carry his songs with a delicately passionate force. The emotive trill of this Austin singer-songwriter's voice soars with the grace of Jeff Buckley, yet Of Waking ..., also evokes Thom Yorke's tremulous pitch made more unsettling within the acoustic atmosphere. "I'm high on every doubt, pull me out," trembles Day on opener "Small Reality," setting a tone of uncertainty that matches his vocal quiver throughout. "Switchboard Fantasy" dials a swaying Latin rhythm for the album's best track, and Suzanna Choffel's harmony on "Little Lights" is beautifully disconsolate. The second half of the album steeps so heavily in the drama of Day's fluctuations that the songs become paradoxically draining, giving way to expressive moans on "Metronomes" and the conclusion to the exceptional Nick Drake-styled guitar of "The Well." Day's voice is so powerfully rich, it requires caution. 
