Anthony Molinaro Music Services

I love the tantalizing intro and the the psychedelic vibe of and the long, slow build to the first chorus, followed by the cool, suave release of that chorus, and harmonies and the quasi acapella ending of your gorgeous voice. I'm just DIGGING this song right now, have to play it again. - Facebook Post

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. - Bart Mendoza - San Diego Troubadour

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 - TheUrbanMusicScene.com