And if I could I'd change my life
I swear to God I'd cut it out with a knife
And with a glue stick I’d reapply it in a song

These words, taken from the chorus of the first song on Jude's album No One Is Really Beautiful, make it clear that this is going to be a very personal, soul-searching album. The remaining 52 minutes of the album certainly live up to this promise.

Jude's alt-folk style is difficult to classify. This album combines the strongest elements of 1970's singer-songwriters with the inventiveness of 1990's alternative groups. Sort of a James Taylor meets Smashing Pumpkins sound. The artist with the closest sound to Jude's would probably be Ani DiFranco, and fans of her work will surely be pleased with this collection of songs. To give examples of the diversity on this album, the opening track, 'You Mama You', sounds like it might belong on a Woody Guthrie album, while later tracks such as 'Rick James' and 'Brad and Suzy' could easily find themselves amongst Beck's finer works.

A few listenings to No One Is Really Beautiful made it clear to me that there is a subtle, but noticeable theme running throughout the album. I've always found theme albums to be hit or miss, but in this case the theme lies far enough below the surface that it doesn’t get in the way of the music. The entire progression of the album seems to detail the slow and painful decay of a relationship, eventually leading to an ugly breakup. Songs such as 'Charlie Says' and 'Out of L.A' express growing dissatisfaction with the relationship. 'I'm Sorry Now,' 'I Do', and 'I Know' all express a palpably reluctant desire to work things out. Other songs express the little head games that fill out the dying days of this relationship. Some of the most powerful songs in the overall theme of the album come at the end. The second last song, 'Brad and Suzy,' finally admits that the relationship is not working out and expresses a desire for something more. The chorus of this song reads:

I wish that I was Brad and Suzy, I really do
I wish that I was stuck on someone
I wish that I was half of a two
I wish that we were like that baby
I wish sometimes you'd love and hate me too

The final rejection comes with the last track, appropriately titled 'The @sshole Song.' Singing in a sweet voice and backed only by soft organ and strings, the singer gives up, refusing to even try and work things out, leaving us with these final words:

So I won’t ever
I won't watch you cry
Goodbye
I won't watch you cry
Goodbye, I'm an @sshole

Amongst the strongest points of No One Is Really Beautiful are the smart, literate lyrics that reward listeners with clever lines and allusions, and Jude's wonderful voice. He sings in a high, powerful tenor and slides up into a fluid falsetto at just the right moments. Think Neil Young without all the rough edges. The instrumentation is also noteworthy, ranging from elegantly simple to complexly layered, but always fitting the songs perfectly.

The only downside I can see to the album id that listening to it can get a little bit depressing. This is not an album to listen to if you're going through a breakup yourself. At any other time, the album is a great listen.

For a debut album, No One Is Really Beautiful stands on its own remarkably well, and hopefully we'll hear more from Jude soon.


Recommended: Yes