Reviews

EP Review – Nicky Jaques: Inside Out

• 29th Mar 2021

Nicky Jacques – Inside Out EP

Nicky Jaques hails from rural Herefordshire-and there’s definitely a hint of the peace and innocent wonder of the countryside to this debut four track EP.  Opening song ‘Wake Up’, with its neat lyrical allusions to ‘Alice In Wonderland’, sounds so idyllic it transports you to some far off sunkissed field, and ‘Stand The Ground’ rolls along as effortlessly as a babbling brook.  Mainly, though, it’s the airy and apparently effortlessly poise with which the songs – even ‘Let’s Move’, with its tougher subject matter, devoted as it is to the plight of refugees – avail themselves.

Nicky apparently has a background in jazz (as well as various other styles) and although this Is the opposite of jazz in style, much less busy and complex anyway, her formative years have evidently shown her how to give melodies and instruments the room they need.  All in turn, of course, giving her the room to push her fantastic vocals – often augmented by her own delicious harmonizing – to the fore, showing them without showing off.  It’s rare you hear a debut as accomplished and confident sounding as this, polished but full of richness and executed with proper, self-evident passion. Can’t wait  to hear more.

Hear the EP in full here –

https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1562069065/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/