Jack Cade’s dramatic vocal is at the heart of his latest single, ‘Choose Your Condition’. His uncompromising voice, just like that of Johnny Cash on those final few records for American Recordings, is full of gritty character, his sonorous tones finding a surprisingly accessible melody and hooking us in. Cade says of the song: “From the moment we enter the world we are fed and consume all manner of conditioning, it guides and helps us function in a society, informs our perceptions and sense of place in the world and how we engage with it, it drives our unthinking acceptance of some things, our decision making and the way we automatically react to certain situations. This song is a call to recognise and challenge the conditioning we all experience and the choices and decisions we make based on this conditioning. Enclosing ourselves in our own world with boxed in thinking is something we all experience. Only by listening and asking the question ‘why’ of ourselves, can we appreciate and start to understand where our opinions and reactions come from.”
In the accompanying video, we see Cade literally wearing his emotions on a cardboard box in various locations, from city streets to the beach and a laundrette. With a dose of good-humour, it’s a well-made visual that reinforces the song’s themes. The highlight is seeing him, hidden within his box-mask, punching the sky as he sings, “And we all are shouting to the heavens, but no one ever listens!” That’s a feeling we can all probably associate with.
Cade’s last two albums, ‘Bear Bones’ and ‘The Death Throes Of A Jaded Empire’, were both darkly atmospheric pieces of work that received favourable reviews here on AUK. His upcoming record, ‘Bewilderland’, is due for release on 26th January 2024 and it promises to be another collection of raw, absorbing songs. One to watch.
