Album Review: Jade Bird - 'Different Kinds of Light'
Jade Bird is British by blood, but embodies the spirit of Americana in everything she does. Her sophomore album, Different Kinds of Light, features the singer-songwriter tackling restless passion, partners who seemingly cannot see what is right in front of them, and the beauty of blind love.
Different Kinds of Light was written across multiple months and several cities, resulting in songs that quite literally were conceived and constructed in different kinds of light — a sort of nomadic sonic journal. But working with famed Nashville producer Dave Cobb, Bird has taken a new approach from her 2019 self-titled debut. Different Kinds of Light incorporates layers of indie rock, Oasis-esque guitar, a brilliant juxtaposition against Bird’s smooth vocal.
“Why do I take what I’m born with and give it all to you?” she sings on “Honeymoon,” revealing that while Bird is only 23, she’s already realized the hypocrisy that often accompanies loving another: there’s a fine line to walk between falling blindingly in love and being taken advantage of. She isn’t always writing about herself, but the lessons are still worthy of learning. “No one can love you if you don’t say,” she wisely points out on “Trick Mirror.”
Bird’s excitement is palpable on Different Kinds of Light, so much so that a few of the songs nearly feel rushed. Others, like “Red White and Blue,” allow for listeners to hear the nuance Bird is able to convey in her voice.
It’s clear: Bird’s adoption into the world of contemporary American folk music is fate.
She closes Different Kinds of Light with “Prototype,” a rollicking tune with vocal lines Dolly Parton would be proud of. “Put my high security, and my satellites from a high warning, to a standby,” she sings. Bird has been cautious about her career, noting that it took her longer to come round to the idea of being a full-time artist than it did for the rest of the world. “And the less I am controlling, the more that’s going right. It’s like waiting for a meteor in the morning sky. If I see it for a minute, oh, it was worth the ride.”
Words by Allison Rapp