Lady Nade - Hard to Forget

by John Clarkson

published: 6 / 9 / 2016

Label: Kitchen Studios
Format: CD

Flawed but potentially promising debut album from Lady Nade, the moniker of Bristol-based singer-songwriter Nadine Gingell

Review

Nadine Gingell, who performs music under the name of Lady Nade, is a young Bristol-based singer-songwriter who has collaborated with Massive Attack. Gingell includes Nina Simone and Odetta as amongst her influences, and her gorgeous voice has a similar sultry, smoky, deep tone to both of them. ‘Hard to Forget’, her debut album, tries to embrace elements of gospel, country, blues, jazz and soul, and as distinctive as Gingell’s voice is and despite its title, there lies the root of much of what unfortunately is wrong with it. It is not quite one thing, not quite another, and too often comes across as rather anonymous and bland. Gingell is, however, always pleasant to listen to, even if some of her songs are unmemorable, and when she gives herself tauter material to work with, such as the heart-breaking soul number and break-up anthem ‘Mind’s Made Up’; the reflective, bluesy ‘Don’t Make Him Wait’ in which she advises a friend not to play too hard to get, and the jubilant last track ‘Get You On My Own’ in which she finally wins her man, she proves to be both riveting and haunting. ‘Hard to Follow’ is undoubtedly a flawed album, but also one that points at great promise.

Track Listing:-

1 Hard to Forget
2 Waiting for You
3 Mind's Made Up
4 Those Late Nights
5 Don't Make Him Wait
6 I Got You Daddy
7 Complicated
8 Kiss This Troubled Mind
9 6Am
10 Get You on My Own