Jade Jackson, who hails from tiny Santa Margarita, is ridiculously gorgeous, almost too beautiful to take seriously, but dismissing her talent as only skin deep would be a grave mistake. Her angelic voice feels like a secret whispered in your ear, but it can soar into a blaze of sound.
On Vintage Heart, her loves and losses are laid bare at the feet of the listener. “Fools Gold” is about being burned by love—an angry, rebuking song I wouldn’t want to be on the wrong end of. My favorite track is “Don’t Run Away,” which chronicles the growing distance between a single mother and child as the child grows up. Its potent emotional maturity belies Jade’s youth.
On Saturday, March 5, Jade will perform an album release party at Boo Boo Records from 2 to 4 p.m. (free; all ages).
