CD Review  

Jadis
 "Photoplay"

Rating 91%

reviewed by Charlie O'

 Coastproggers Jadis have been through a bit a fallow period recently, after two storming albums (More Than Meets The Eye and Across The Water) they faltered with the disappointing Somersault, before picking up again on the excellent Understand and Fanatic.

Fans had been kept happy with the remastered version of More Than Meets along with the so-called bonus disk (face it, that's the real reason you bought it!), but Photoplay comes out at a critical time for the band, with it being Widgies last one with them.

The album opens up in fantastic style, There's A Light being pure Jadis through and through and through, Gary Chandler's guitar sings like it's life depends on it, whilst Gary songs like his life depends on his guitar. John Jowitts funky bass funks it's way under the top like a toad on heat, while Orfords keyboards bleep at the appropriate time! Steve Christey plays drums again.

What Goes Around comes around after with chunkier guitars that what Jadis have been known for recently in the past, giving the band a heavier sound - is this a sign of things to come? This is followed by Gary's paen to impotence, Asleep In My Hands, surely a brave song to have written and played in front of crowds. As Pele says, "I know I wood". Standing Still takes the pace down with another chunky bass line before more trademark Chandler playing interlayering with Orfords keyboards. Christey's drumming comes to the fore on I Hear Your Voice, backing up Jowitts bass superbly, giving it a jaunty little start which continues through the song to the jaunty little ending! Reminiscient of some real early Jadis stuff!

Another highlight on the album comes in the emotional Make Me Move, an anti-war song for the post-neo-pub-prog scene if ever I heard one. I like the way the song phades in and out during the choruses, giving it a different "damn you media player" feel, Who Am I is another heavier track (but hey, it's not Sabbath) featuring stunning fretwork by Ghandler, who is fast becoming the best (lead) guitarist in Jadis! Need To Breathe follows in a similar vein and is one of those tracks that works really well live.

Every album has to have it's lowlight, and this one is no exception. Please Open Your Eyes sounds totally out of place here, and would probably fit more onto a poppy Kino album, with it's jangly guitar and simple keyboard lines. However the sophistication of All You've Ever Known, with it's Del Amitrisms pulls it back around again, albeit in a mellower mood than the rest of the tracks, very restrained playing by the band until it kicks off, slightly, in the middle. The instrumental Photoplay closes the album in it's low key way...

A fine return to form by the old buggers!