Jade MacRae takes us on a sonic trip back in time with her gorgeous new single “Weather The Storm.” It feels like an instant classic, the kind of poised ballad that Dionne Warwick or Anita Baker may have released back in the day. Jade recorded the song just before the pandemic hit. It was a challenging time for everyone, but especially Jade who has spent the last four years touring the United States with Joe Bonamassa.
“Spending the duration of the pandemic in the USA was a challenging and eye-opening time,” she admitted. “The tension due to racial injustice and the political climate being so heated only added to the stress of Covid-19 and our industry being completely shut down. I don’t do so well being idle, but some of my peers managed to channel their creative energy into other projects and that was inspiring for me through a difficult time.”
However, if not for the pandemic Jade may never have discovered Kate Ceberano’s gift for the visual arts. She enlisted Kate to create the artwork for her new single.
“I started seeing Kate posting incredible art that she was creating every day – drawings, paintings, guitars she was decorating. One series she created (her ‘space’ series) really spoke to me, and I asked if she would consider creating something for me for the cover art of Weather The Storm, which I had recorded pre-Covid” Jade explained. “She was generous enough to agree and I couldn’t be more thrilled with what she presented to me. She really captured the essence of the song and transformed it into something visually beautiful. I’m hoping to do a 7” vinyl release to really honour what she has created in a physical form.”
After spending so much of the pandemic locked down in the US, Jade is itching to get back in front of local audiences. You can catch her at the following venues over the coming months:
27 May 2021 – Lizotte’s Newcastle
5 June 2021 – Cronulla Jazz and Blues Festival @ The Brass Monkey (with Ray Beadle, Jonathan Zwartz, Andrew Dickeson, and Clayton Doley)
6 June 2021 – Camelot Lounge, Marrickville NSW
18 June 2021 – The Great Club, Marrickville (with Karen Lee Andrews)
5 July 2021 – Starfish Club @ Clovelly Bowling Club, Clovelly
24 July 2021 – The Jazz Lab, Melbourne
Image used with permission from Ferris Davies PRM