Canada lost one of its most beloved musical sons in late 2009 when R&B singer Haydain Neale died of lung cancer at the age of 39.
But the jacksoul frontman left behind some unreleased demo tracks, including this single "Got To Have It," written and with vocals recorded in the summer of 2007, which will be officially released on the Juno-winning band's upcoming greatest hits collection.
As you can see in this studio session video we are premiering, the surviving members of jacksoul reunited to flesh out the demo in honour of their late leader.
"For the first time in almost five years we got together and played music -- and even more, played as jacksoul," says keyboardist Ron Lopata. "Not having Haydain there was definitely a consuming thought and I couldn't help looking over to that empty mic to see if he'd show up. In many ways, he did."
“Haydain Neale was one of the most intelligent, articulate, well-read people I ever met," recalls guitarist Justin Abedin. "He had an instantly recognizable voice and was a true, natural singer. Haydain had a knack, like no one else, to pick notes out of thin air ... and nail them. His sense of pitch and keen, rhythmic pocket made him a joy to perform with, especially when we gigged as a vocal/guitar duo version of jacksoul. Haydain's sense of humour was evident in many of his songs ... who else could find a way to use 'roti' as a lyric?
Calling the collage of clips in the video "nostalgic and bittersweet," Abedin sadly adds, "I wish Haydain could be here today to see the impact he made on our lives and the Canadian musical landscape."
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