Jade Raven - "In The Dark" (self-produced)

Album review by Jill Becker

So often, the portrayal of teenagers on MTV and on the radio is far from the reality of being a teenager. It's all the more refreshing, then, to hear a band of teenagers like Jade Raven making music about real life.

The trio from Kansas City, MO is led by singer/songwriter Holly King along with Eric Cornwell on bass and Allen Hiegert on drums. In The Dark is their first full length album featuring 10 songs, that after a few listens, manage to lure you into singing along.

Carried by King's clean, crisp vocals we see a whole spectrum of teenage troubles and triumphs. With the first track, "funky feeling," a song about falling in love, and the punky pop song, "downtown," about hanging out with friends, and lines like "I'm not your baby anymore" (from "drop it down") and "people want too much from me" (from "that's a fact") we're reminded of what it's like to be a teenager.

Although the tunes are really catchy, this band isn't perfect. King's vocals and energy really carry the band. Even though the accompaniement is solid, a stronger guitar presence would be beneficial to some songs. Over all In The Dark is an enjoyable first album, and unlike Britney, you can expect this act to only get better as it grows up.

To get more information on Jade Raven you can visit their website at www.jaderaven.com.

--Jill Becker
kujill@falcon.cc.ukans.edu