Jadea Kelly

“Jadea Kelly is one of the shining jewels in the crown of Canada’s new songwriters" - CBC Radio 2: Tom Power

“Jadea Kelly is one of the shining jewels in the crown of Canada’s new songwriters" - CBC Radio 2: Tom Power

" With warbling lyrics such as 'If drinking and pride and trains can take you away from pain, why does everything stay the same?,' Jadea Kelly has created a folksy-bluesy country album perfect for a solo Sunday afternoon on the couch with coffee and a good book. 4 out of 5 stars!! " - Vue Weekly

" With warbling lyrics such as 'If drinking and pride and trains can take you away from pain, why does everything stay the same?,' Jadea Kelly has created a folksy-bluesy country album perfect for a solo Sunday afternoon on the couch with coffee and a good book. 4 out of 5 stars!! " - Vue Weekly

JADEA KELLY: This local singer/songwriter has been playing a Tuesday night residency at The Cameron House, to highly appreciative audiences. We caught one recently, and was similarly impressed. Kelly and her four-piece band (including noted keyboardist JASON SNIDERMAN) played plenty of songs from her recent album, Eastbound Platform, a record mixing strong originals with well-chosen covers, like JACK MARKS’ “Hazel.” “The Sound,” a co-write with JUSTIN RUTLEDGE, was one of the set’s highlights. Kelly’s sound mixes folk and country elements, and her strong and pure voice is capable of causing goosebumps when she delivers a line like “you tore my heart in two.” Her run at The Cameron ends on Jan. 18, and she’s then off to Amsterdam for a while. Catch her while you can. Opening for Kelly was rootsy duo THE SOUL SURFERS (normally a trio). They also impressed, and OTB was intrigued to note they included veteran singer/songwriter DOUGLAS CAMERON. He joked about his brief bout of ’80s rock stardom. Anyone else remember his hit “Mona With The Children”? Speaking of The Cameron House, the venue is about to launch its own record label with an upcoming concert at The Great Hall that will feature many of their regular bands. Given the importance of The Cameron to the Toronto music scene for the past 30 years, a label makes perfect sense.

- Tandem: The Canadian Experience

JADEA KELLY: This local singer/songwriter has been playing a Tuesday night residency at The Cameron House, to highly appreciative audiences. We caught one recently, and was similarly impressed. Kelly and her four-piece band (including noted keyboardist JASON SNIDERMAN) played plenty of songs from her recent album, Eastbound Platform, a record mixing strong originals with well-chosen covers, like JACK MARKS’ “Hazel.” “The Sound,” a co-write with JUSTIN RUTLEDGE, was one of the set’s highlights. Kelly’s sound mixes folk and country elements, and her strong and pure voice is capable of causing goosebumps when she delivers a line like “you tore my heart in two.” Her run at The Cameron ends on Jan. 18, and she’s then off to Amsterdam for a while. Catch her while you can. Opening for Kelly was rootsy duo THE SOUL SURFERS (normally a trio). They also impressed, and OTB was intrigued to note they included veteran singer/songwriter DOUGLAS CAMERON. He joked about his brief bout of ’80s rock stardom. Anyone else remember his hit “Mona With The Children”? Speaking of The Cameron House, the venue is about to launch its own record label with an upcoming concert at The Great Hall that will feature many of their regular bands. Given the importance of The Cameron to the Toronto music scene for the past 30 years, a label makes perfect sense.

- Tandem: The Canadian Experience

This singer-songwriter is a popular member of the Toronto, ON roots scene, and the high quality of this, her second album, deserves to bring her wider attention. Kelly's sound falls a little more on the country side of the fence than many of her peers, and her vocals have the unaffected, openly emotional quality needed to shine in that context. If you can judge an artist by the company they keep, then Kelly must be rated highly. Her band here includes Blake Manning (Blue Rodeo), Jason Sniderman (Blue Peter) and John Showman (Creaking Tree String Quartet), while her chief collaborator on the album is producer/multi-instrumentalist David Baxter. He co-wrote two songs, including gently haunting ode to heartbreak "The Sound" (written with Justin Rutledge). Kelly shows impeccable taste in choosing outside material, covering Lori Yates's powerful "Walking Wounded" and Jack Marks's "Hazel." Her compositions lose nothing in comparison. This is a delightful album.
- EXCLAIM: Kerry Doole

This singer-songwriter is a popular member of the Toronto, ON roots scene, and the high quality of this, her second album, deserves to bring her wider attention. Kelly's sound falls a little more on the country side of the fence than many of her peers, and her vocals have the unaffected, openly emotional quality needed to shine in that context. If you can judge an artist by the company they keep, then Kelly must be rated highly. Her band here includes Blake Manning (Blue Rodeo), Jason Sniderman (Blue Peter) and John Showman (Creaking Tree String Quartet), while her chief collaborator on the album is producer/multi-instrumentalist David Baxter. He co-wrote two songs, including gently haunting ode to heartbreak "The Sound" (written with Justin Rutledge). Kelly shows impeccable taste in choosing outside material, covering Lori Yates's powerful "Walking Wounded" and Jack Marks's "Hazel." Her compositions lose nothing in comparison. This is a delightful album.
- EXCLAIM: Kerry Doole