Jude Haines: Press

The debut self-titled album by Jude Haines is a delightful trip into a world of twisted tales, dark overtones and evocative lyrics. The tales are stories of broken hearts, dreams and tragedies sung with heart, and soul and much integrity.

Power vocals and great instrumentation combine to make this a dynamic, debut disc and a powerful venture into the abyss known as the music industry. 12 players have joined Haines on this album, bringing the sounds of flute, recorder, cello, Brazilian percussion, trumpet and sax to the standard mix of piano, drums, bass and electric guitars. Add to the mix, the power guitar of Kevin Breit and this is a must have for music fans.

It is no easy task labeling the music of Haines because he combines many genres including folk, jazz, rock and soul. He has been compared to Jeff Buckley and Dave Matthews but if you listen closely, very early Billy Joel comes to mind.

The opening track "December" starts with the beat of a piano and the eloquent vocal styling of Haines and immediately alerts the listener that they are in for a treat. Piano and acoustic guitar blend effortlessly on "The Night Can Be So Long" captivating the listener and sending them down a quiet path through a forest or park…but hold on for this track takes a wicked "rocky" turn near the end into a rock ballad. "Falling" is a wonderful piece reminiscent of early James Taylor or Loggins and Messina.

The vocals seem to carry the listener to a peaceful, tranquil place and the background musicians wrap their notes around Haines vocals, creating a perfect match.

All eleven tracks on this disc work. They are great examples of what four years of creating and refining can do for a singer-songwriter’s repertoire. This is sure to be the start of another great career.

Here are some various comments expressed by listeners and musicians alike on the first site I ever posted material on:


- Thanks for sharing your incredible voice and music.

- Hey there, your songs are amazing, I love it!

- Love your style, honestly and truly, you write the kind of music I want to listen to.

- A new CD soon??? Terrific!! I'll check back....and I'm definitely going to listen to the rest of your songs...just right now...I'm kind of stuck on this one...

- Lovin' the music Jude. Thanks for giving us all these fantastic previews. Good luck In Toronto.

- I have been listening to lots of your stuff!! Great tunes and all around awesome!

- What on EARTH are you doing on here on Dmusic?!? You should be in major concert halls, selling out stadiums and records by the millions! You guys are the bomb...wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!

- Your songs have taken residency on my CD player of recent. Smashing stuff!

- Sound of A Broken Heart is unbelievable dude, this is the best song I have heard in the past year, just incredible!!

- Hey Jude, I stumbled upon you tonight and I am floored, I am also a touring road dog. I am really impressed with your writing and voice etc. Just wanted to say most excellent songs.

- I honestly enjoyed your stuff. I can honestly say this is some of the most mature material I have heard on Dmusic to date.

- Well Jude, you are going to have a kick ass CD when you are done recording. If the demo versions that you have posted on Dmusic are any indication, you will have great commercial success if you desire it. Thank you for sharing with us before you 'make it big'.

- Welcome to Dmusic! Been checking out your tracks. Your vocals and guitar are fantastic!

- Hey man, absolutely fantastic music you are sharing, Thank you very much!!

Here's some feedback on "Tragedy of Hindsight" and "December" from the wonderful community at Mixposure.com:


- Tragedy of Hindsight....is the proof of your amazing songwriter skills, and different views of production a particular song needs.

- I love this song - and your vocals again - as much as December, but here we enjoy a more modern and tough arrangement....not so dreamy, another kind of poetry and very demanding, like your lyrics are.

- Incredible! ....and you will melt away like ice on the skin, if you like beautiful vocals!

- Your expression reminds me so much of the soulful performers like Art Garfunkel or Colin Blunstone, they belong to my favorite singers.

- I love the classic song structure, brush drums, soft butterfly guitars...This is timeless, non-electronic music.....God, I missed that for so long.

- I like this one A LOT! Any song devoted to a month seems to have so much power - really cool! I wish we could work together!

- Very cool! Jazzy track, nice vocals. The drums are amazing. Very catchy track. Very nice production; a well done mellow piece.

- This is another great listen for me today...I really like your music. What I noticed most about this song was how well you set up your refrain line lyrically...It always leads up to it in a new way...And it's just a great job of writing...The music brings back memories but has a nice ethereal touch to it that makes you feel really nostalgic. I hope you were going for that, because it's a joy to experience.

- Hey Jude (Sorry, I bet you hear that a lot), this track is killing!! The production is just blowing me away...So many neat instrumental textures...That lap or pedal steel mixed with that thick bottom acoustic bass...It just sounds great...And the song!! The song is magnificent...So many interesting harmonic devices to guide us in your very interesting observation of your world. The brushes sound great also...I am glad to hear you on here. A breath of fresh air.