Music Review for Jacqui Blue – Goldrush

Goldrush has one of the best introductions to a song I’ve heard in recent months. The band fill their music will brightness, flair, and skill. They reach out and grab your attention from the very first few moments, and melodically, musically, maintain it throughout. Really well considered and performed, and a beautiful set of vocals that is refreshing and comforting to listen to.

The song has a traditional feel to it, but it’s extremely imaginative and inventive, which is fantastic – it keeps it interesting, gives it that consistent stream of hooks to captivate and surround you as you listen. When the vocals kick in you immediately warm to the melody and the harmonies of the voices. The gentle strum of a guitar can be heard at certain points throughout the song, which adds a fairly warm and endearing acoustic touch to the music. It’s a memorable song, without doubt, the verses and the chorus have equal power, and the guitar solo is just wonderful – perfectly in keeping with the song, arrives just at the right time to break things up and take you off on a little journey through the mind.

I’m reminded at times of a little of The Beach Boys, a hint of The Beatles, but not in the song itself – I love that it sounds like something brand new. The bands Soundcloud page is loaded with quality rock songs, always superbly performed and written, and always inventive and wonderfully creative. Well worth checking out.

They are indeed a brilliantly talented group of musicians performing in unison, a close band it seems, and this particular one is a really brilliant song. It would be a pleasure to see these guys performing live. “I know they’ll all be back someday” is a fairly appropriate line, it’s the kind of music you can easily listen to again and again. I look forward to playing it loud on a road trip sometime soon. Music that is genuinely filled with those essential feel good rock vibes to make your day so much more enjoyable.

By Rebecca Cullen

Travelling musician and writer from Manchester, UK.

Exclusive Interview:

Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?

Jacqui Blue: Ok,i grew up in a small town called High Wycombe,which is 25 miles north of the city Of London,

I listened to the radio in my childhood and was intrigued by the sound of the Beatles, i just adored the gritty vocals of John Lennon,especially on the track twist and shout, oh, and that guitar !!, i wanted one !!, that was it for me, i said to myself, that is what i want to be, a singer in a band !!

Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?

Jacqui Blue: The name came from a film i watched many years ago called ”Betty Blue”

all about a girl in which the world was not enough for her, i thought to myself hey that sounds a little like me,

she liked to get what she wanted, and i guess we all have that little bit inside us.

Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?

Jacqui Blue: ok, mm, online music sharing, it is a very new idea to me, i sometimes feel a little sceptical about it as i am so used to the reality things in this world, i like to see actual items in my hands, many years ago i released on vinyl and cassette and could actually hold these in my hands , yes i do sometimes give away free music, but it is a hard decision as the cost is very high, i give my friends free tracks at times, but then again i have lots of friends who i love dearly so i feel this is my way of returning my friendship.

Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?

Jacqui Blue: Oh God ,where can i start on this one?, finding gigs is the hardest part in the UK with a lot of venues disappearing, i think the way i did it was make a complete nuisance of myself at the venues till they gave me a gig date i had to of course supply a tape of us playing, and when they asked did we do other peoples songs i just said yes, but i did anyway !!, but not many, airplay is a different ball game, mainline stations like to work through professional pluggers and promoters, these all cost money, but now you can easily get airplay on the internet stations ,you just have to seek them out and never ever give up, be confident and believe in your self.

Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?

Jacqui Blue: inspiration, mm, there is no hard and fast answer here, most of my songs are written during the twilight hours, i just awake with an idea and write, i cannot force myself to write, it is just a happening with me, but i usually come up with a melody first then add the lyrics to fit.

Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?

Jacqui Blue: yes i have a band website ,but i am still working on it at this point in time.

Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?

Jacqui Blue: Ok, i personally would enjoy my hobbies and spend some of the cash on my vintage vehicles maintaining them. but i would take a holiday maybe to the black forest, i love it there !, but secretly i would still be sneaking in to the studio to record more tracks,in between buying more motorcycles , ssshhh !!

Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?

Jacqui Blue: I seek out websites that offer social music sharing and use you tube at times but mostly i like to get out there by approaching online radio stations and news papers ,i also get to know people in the business and push myself hard,for me i think getting exposed in front of people that matter in the business seems to work for me, after all, they are the ones who have the biggest like button.

Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?

Jacqui Blue: Yes, at the moment i am working on my second album in three years, which will be slightly more rock based but not heavy rock, i can’t sing like those guys, i have a more rock’n’roll feel in my bones, also we are sorting a tour of the UK for the near future, all will be announced in time.

Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?

Jacqui Blue: oh my, well when i was younger i wanted to join the army and i pursued that career for quite a while,but it did not quite go to plan, and i ended up in engineering, covered in grease and oil,yeeuk !!, but now i think i would be a classic vehicle and motorcycle restorer

Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?

Jacqui Blue: Funnily enough the only responsibility i have these days is myself and paying the bills so that is an easy one for me

but i stay ahead by continually recording and experimenting with sounds in the studio, i have a wonderful producer Name of Les Payne, he has been signed with many top record companies in the past and even had the legendary producer John Schroeder produce him. i get to meet some great masters of the business through Les, and i guess that helps with my moral , they are great mentors and inspiration.

Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2016?

Jacqui Blue: well i guess they can look forward to a brilliant roadshow and great new releases , not only on the internet but i plan to release on vinyl too as well as cd

Randy M

Since 2008, I've been dedicated to supporting unsigned artists through ExposedVocals.com, evolving from platform creation to in-depth music reviews and artist discovery. I showcase talent, amplify voices, and share industry insights from legends to empower the next generation of musicians.