It takes someone special to stand out in today's musical landscape of rap-rock mooks and tarty teen divas. But Jude Christodal does just that. On his new album, King of Yesterday, Jude displays two things that warrant you pay very close attention in the coming months: Songwriting chops that enable the singer/songwriter to tell flint-eyed truths with both sardonic humor, emotional levity and an ethereal upper register. When Jude gets his mojo up and running, forget it. His is a furiously searching pop-rock vision, where irony and sincerity collide and both emerge victorious. "Me try write good songs," he says.
Transcending the boutique-y qualities that earned his eclectic, style-hopping Maverick debut No One Is Really Beautiful critical accolades and radio play across the country, Jude focuses his attention on production this time around, though never neglecting songcraft. "I did feel more focused on this album," he says, "I sought out producers for what they could bring to the tracks." Ron Aniello (Lifehouse), Mickey Petralia (Beck), and Matthew Wilder (No Doubt) lent musical and emotional heft to the artist's unique sensibility. Jude's lyrical gift is a vulnerable twist on irony, with a narrative voice that is often conflicted, ever human, and always real. Whether he's asking "how-do-you-sleep" on "Oh Boy" or telling an ex-lover why he can't attend her wedding on "I Do," Jude doesn't skimp on details, no matter how revealing.
The standout title track, "King of Yesterday," features one poetic turn of phrase followed by another until a desperate need is finally revealed. This propensity for unflinching honesty seems to stem from JUDE'S unconventional background. The peripatetic son of a military-man-turned-musician-turned-housebuilder who once traveled the European folk circuit, Jude's creativity was encouraged from an early age when he was sung to sleep in homes on the outskirts of Boston. Later, he would embark on a path to find his own voice, attending Emory University, Boston University, and the College of Charleston (catch the economic downflow) where he eventually earned a degree in Philosophy.
On King of Yesterday, Jude's voice sweeps from whispered places of frankness all the way up to Al Green avenue, taking the listener along on his emotional journey. He honed his four-octave instrument singing in a cappella groups in high school. "I became the swing guy," he says. "I sang all the high parts-the Brian Wilson, Eddie Kendricks stuff, but could cover the bass in a pinch." On his father's advice, he picked up the guitar in college to find a peaceful center and began playing in a guitar duo, performing beer-soaked gi gs around Atlanta, as well as a brief run as a karaoke kingpin. ("I know you're not going to put that in my bio.")
Eventually Jude turned to writing his own songs. In 1994, he moved to L.A., where he watched the [INSERT L.A. CLICHÉ HERE RE: VAPID BLONDES/SHATTERED DREAMS] and listened to Tony Bennett and Nirvana while slogging through a soul-destroying succession of menial jobs: delivery boy, dishwasher, production assistant, casting assistant, and, perhaps most ridiculously, computer salesman. While faking his way through selling computers, Jude began selling himself. He harassed a frequent customer at the store, who owned a small recording facility, until the dude agreed to let Jude use his studio for a couple of hours in exchange for $100. The resulting tracks (including an early version of "I Do") became the songs that made up Jude's 1997 debut,
430 N. Harper Avenue. Released on L.A. indie label, Fish of Death, this mostly acoustic recording is reminiscent of Jude's early shows and inspired him to opt for creativity over stability. "At some point you have to make a decision, and mine had become clear with that very first tape."
Jude began playing around L.A., gradually attracting sizable, rabidly loyal crowds, the BMG publishing empire, and, ultimately, the attention of Maverick Records, who signed him in 1997 and released No One Is Really Beautiful in September 1998. Featuring the folky, hip-hop inflected single "Rick James," the lyrically driven pop of "I'm Sorry Now," and "I Know," the starkly emotional standout song from the multi-platinum City of Angels soundtrack, the album drew critical praise from the likes of Rolling Stone, Spin, and the New York Times. Its success led to tours with Ben Folds Five, Dido, Train, and Chris Isaak where Jude won audiences over with his voice, storytelling skills, spontaneous humor and enthralling presence. "I guess my shows can get sort of intense. But what does it say about the comfort level in a room when people walk onstage to hug me in the middle of a story? Where's the charisma factor there?"
Jude should have plenty of time to ponder that question, with that open road looming just past the forthcoming release of King of Yesterday. The accomplished new record's wide range of styles once again showcases Jude's diverse writing ability, where he tackles everything from the lush orchestral pop of the horn-spiced "Everything's All Right (I Think It's Time)" and the McCartney-esque title track, to the devastatingly visceral "Red Room" and the bare bones "Indian Lover," stopping along the way to indict superficiality both personal and professional on "The Not So Pretty Princess" and "Sit-Ups." There's also an inspired tongue-in-cheek re-make of the Bread classic "Everything I Own." "It just seemed funny and kind of ridiculous to tackle that song," Jude says. "I mean, how do you top Bread in the first place? You're never going to beat David Gates at what he does. So we just attacked it, changed the chords a little, pulled out all the Shania tricks I could think of across the outro, and it all came together in two, pop-slutting days."
Fans of his last album will notice that King of Yesterday sounds a little more radio-friendly this time around. "Whenever an artist does something that's unique or quirky, it tends to get picked up on and diluted by the entertainment machine," Jude says. "On my last record, I was holding onto my art more tightly, I was more precious, and, you know, I lived in a van. This time I decided to kiss the machine a little."
And how was it?
"It likes to be kissed."
Source: www.maverickrc.com/jude/bio.html
