JADE WARRIOR

Jade Warrior is the selftitled debut studio album from British psychadelic rock act Jade Warrior. This is not a band I had heard about before reading a review on PA, but I´m very greatful that I read that review and took the time to listen to this album because it´s really unique and different from what I usually listen to.

What you notice first when listening to this album is the lack of a real drummer. Every rythm on this album is created by all sorts of percussion. It´s a real treat IMO and one of the biggests assets in Jade Warrior´s music. The music seems very organic with lots of acoustic guitar and bass, the aformentioned percussion and lots of flute. There are occasional electric guitar parts, but the music is mostly acoustic. The backbone in most songs is simple blues rock and the vocals are also mostly blues rock influenced. There are several more mellow sections throughout the album though and the flute creates a folky mood that leads my thoughts toward early Jethro Tull. In fact I´m sure fans of early Tull will love this album.

Most songs are pretty simple yet greatly enjoyable and I´m left with a big smile on my face after listening to songs like Petunia and Psychiatric Sergeant. Masai Morning and Dragonfly Day is a bit longer than the other songs on the album and the structure of those songs can be considered somewhat progressive.

The musicianship is excellent. I really enjoy the many acoustic blues rock riffs that are the backbone of the songs. Very inventive. The percussion parts from Jon Field needs to be mentioned as well as they are varied and intriguing all the way through the albums playing time. The flute which is also played by Jon Field is also very enjoyable.

The production is excellent. Very organic and pleasant. I can feel my body vibrate with each percussion hit if I turn up the volume on my stereo.

I´m so happy after listening to Jade Warrior. It´s just the kind of album that´s designed to make you happy. I´m also very intrigued by the fact that this is a three man band without a real drummer who is able to create such great music. This is a very deserved 4 star rating and I can´t wait to discover the rest of Jade Warrior´s discography.