Independently Crafted

It has been four years, but Nite Jewel has finally come out with her second album, Liquid Cool. In between the two albums, Nite Jewel went through some shifts with her label, resulting in Liquid Cool being released independently.

“Nothing But Scenery” opens up the album with a smooth bass guitar intro with a stark contrast to the lyrical sound of ethereal voices. “Was That Sign” follows with a lighter quality but still holds onto the groove set up in the intro of “Nothing But Scenery.” Further along, the pre-released single “Boo Hoo” shows up and the lyrical voice and music close the gap of contrast that was found in the previous songs. “I Mean It” comes on a little darker and even turns a little sexy as it opens up to an R&B ballad. “Running Out of Time” is the longest song and while it contrasts the previous song, it ties more in “Nothing But Scenery” as  brings back that ethereal tone. More of Nite Jewel’s range is shown in this song, as she has ample time to show it, and it is definitely the most dynamic.

With being free from having to play along with her album’s interest rather than her own, Liquid Cool comes together as a complete vision. Nothing ever comes off as overly complex, and there is more emphasis on creating full lush sound rather than anything else. Liquid Cool encapsulates the sound found on the album, where everything is done in a relaxed manner even when the song topics begin to explore ideas of loneliness, solitude, and wistfulness. This comes from the lightness of her voice being able to contrast yet compliment the heavier bass line and beats. With this new independence, Nite Jewel can only explore further and deeper into her sound.