The facts indicate that Sir Jude, a “Melbourne marvel”, may be destined for great things. Her 2019 single “Mirror’” was synced to MTV’s reality TV show Catfish. Her 2020 debut four track EP Dreamlands has accrued over 260,000 streams (as of November 2022) and was featured on Spotify’s “Fresh Finds” playlist; two of its songs have been heard in the Netflix UK Series, The A List. What’s more, none of these earlier tracks are included here on her debut album, suggesting a breadth of original material.
Revelations is at times experimental but is accessible enough for most listeners. “Madonna” is an upbeat flounce down the catwalk, its energy created through the opposing forces of Madonna and “whore” [though we don’t approve of slut-shaming, and are probably on the sluttish side ourselves], with Sir Jude challenging internalised misogyny and Catholic guilt. The subversive pop of “Freakshow” is a pulsating sexual trip into temptation.
It’s easy to see why Sir Jude’s music has been used for soundtracks; the title track creates drama through its slow build, and “Preach” is easy to imagine being heard in cinemas [remember those?] with its brooding vocal and über-modern backing (with assistance from Maxim of The Prodigy).
Sir Jude turn in some impressive performances; ballad “MAMMA” may owe something to Freddie Mercury in its title, delivery and drama, and the emotive “Secret Safe” showcases her vocal prowess. The more experimental tracks are ambitious but keep the listener’s attention. The desperate call-out of “Twenty Four Seven” mixes unexpected beats into its melodic setting. “A Message from Rosa” is fifty three seconds of spoken word (we think Italian) backed with synth, and is the record of a conversation with a grandmother on the significance of being a woman – in another world what could be a slice of audio from a lost European movie. Outro “Fine”, an “admission of love and resurgence of heartbreak”, suggests there is more to come from this appealing new artist – but this is pretty good for now.
Release Date: 18 NOV 2022
Poetic Justice 