Sunday Wilde & the 1 Eyed Jacks CD (self titled)

CD Release Date: May 1, 2019

New CD Review by Cora Price, Fraser Valley Blues Society

I’m so pleased to get me a fix of some Sunday Wilde on her new CD Sunday Wilde & the 1 Eyed Jacks. This lady is someone who gets into your heart and soul. Her sound and lyrics hit home and is just pure pleasure to listen to and enjoy.

One song, Spirits Up My Friend, a hauntingly beautiful dedication to Reno Jack, Sunday’s partner who has left this realm, was mixed by Mark Saville at Vintage Room studio. For anyone who has lost a loved one, Spirits Up My Friend (track 9), is a song that offers empathy, compassion and raw emotion for the person feeling the spiral of loss and trying to understand it all. Sunday’s keys and vocals, accompanied by the stand-up bass (Arek Chamski), take you to a place of healing and understanding. The journey of losing someone you love is a long and difficult path but music truly has the power to heal us.  

The CD features 11 cuts with the majority being original tunes written by Wilde. Sunday’s rendition of It Hurts Me Too, cut #6, offers her take on an old favorite. Her signature sound adds some new life to this oldie. To start things off, the CD begins with the tune “Evil”, a wonderful mix of vocals and sound. This is a tune I can see used as a theme song for a movie or TV show. A great story if you pay attention to the lyrics.  As you are listening, close your eyes, and you’ll see what I mean.

The song “Dead Man Shoes” is catchy and again, has great lyrics and melody to it. Love the intro to cut #7 – My Baby’s Dead. There are many cuts to this album you’ll fall in love with, but it’s up to you to explore it further and discover the newest compositions being offered and choose your own favorites. Something for everyone: shuffles, boogie woogie, blues, slowed down listening tunes and more. Pure pleasure.

What I love each time I listen to this CD (yes, I listened to it a few times before writing this review), is Sunday’s unique voice. She brings out the best in the musicians she plays with.  Reminiscent of the musicians of the 50’s, it’s easy to visualize her sitting at the piano in a juke joint, having everyone around her joining in to enjoy the live music, playing their instrument of choice and just having a good time.

This woman has not had it easy but she’s tenacious, she’s got passion in her soul and you know without a doubt she was put here to make beautiful music. Hardship seems to be the basis of many a good song, and Sunday is no stranger to that.

The official release date of the CD is May 1st so be sure to get your copy through iTunes and other music download sites as soon as possible. Visit her site: https://www.sundaywilde.com/ or Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SUNDAY-wilde86467294626/ for official release info.

Hoping we’ll get to see Sunday sometime in the near future on the west coast. Always a pleasure interacting with her, a true blues soul!