Soul music in Sydney is few and far between, with the rise of hip hop in the west and the country and punk scene being constantly nurtured in Newtown with the Newtown Cowboys / CowGirls and the Newtown Mullets, it is hard for other such genres to make their presence known. In order for the soul to really make itself noticed in the scene, it needs a figurehead, someone with class, experience, the right look and soul sensibilities overflowing from the heart and soul. Enter, Jade MacRae. With a career that began in the pop and RnB world, that saw her touring the world with hit after hit and ARIA nominations, MacRae is now evolving her sound and in doing so, bringing a rejuvenation to soul music. 

All music is an expression of oneself, a chance to look deep inside and draw out inner feelings and emotions that are bubbling inside. Soul music is the uninhibited look at these feelings. Backed by a band of seriously talented musicians, MacRae’s endeavour into soul is proving both captivating and authentic. 

I Choose Love goes strong from the get-go. The music incites the hip dropping, toe turning swagger that creates dancers out of all who hear it. Her lyrics are personal and emotive and the song finds it’s chorus’ crescendoing into moments of soulful bliss. There isn’t much of a look into innovating the soul sound here, but then again, soul comes from the soul and that pure genuine nature of the track makes the need for modern touches seem almost irrelevant. 

Classic Soul music in Sydney may have found itself a figure head in Jade MacRae.