The CD was almost never made.

Jude's release of King of Yesterday was a "non-stop party" according to the CD liner notes. Apparently he had spent eight months making a 32 track demi-opera titled "Can't Stop My Feet!" The deeply personal venture met silence from his label so Jude decided to take the last ten thousand dollars the record company had advanced him and called in his friends to help him with a new project. King of Yesterday is the result of being crammed into a pool house studio with two guitars, three amps, a bass and lots of friends for 12 days.

The pure ease at how the record was made matches the outcome of the 12 tracks - full of life and great ideas.

"First kiss, near miss, holding breathe. Her tongue so young - death. I know this is wrong, I have been silent for too long," croons the singer/songwriter on the track "Red Room." The artist, born Jude Christodal, hits the nail on the head with this lyric. The artist, (who goes solely by Jude) gives listeners a passionate taste of his craft, while fans hold their breath to see what Jude will come up with next. The singer has been silent since '98 when he released the critically acclaimed "No One Is Really Beautiful." He's been silent for too long as far as many fans are concerned.

But those who have experienced the smooth and emotional sound of Jude will embrace this album with vigor. Full of intense and deep lyrics, sardonic humor and a narrative voice that is often conflicted, King of Yesterday mixes a unique blend of pop-rock beats. The eclectic plethora matches perfectly with Jude's original sounding voice as he sings high, poppy, rockin', yearning and pleading love songs with ease. His voice is rich, clean and draws listeners in as he tells tales of stolen kisses, rock stars and falling in love.

Love lost and longing is a reoccurring theme throughout the album that is more radio-friendly than his previous. On the track "Everything's All Right (I Think It's Time)," Jude sings, "Everything's alright, the way that you believe in me. It takes me through the night, I fall beside you softly singing." Backed by keyboards and horns, the song speaks of hope while Jude belts out the affecting lyrics.

The title track shares the introspective lyrics, "A silly little love song for myself…. You were my setting sun and now you're every view." The remake of "No One is Really Beautiful's hit track "I Do," reveals ache and pain as Jude tells an ex-lover why he can't attend her wedding. The somber track says, "I thought of writing sad words of how it used to be, but I didn't want to bring you down. You think that I don't love you, you're just wrong." The song throws in some extra piano, and has an R&B flavor that the original version doesn't, making it less somber.

Counteracting "I Do," Jude sings "And if you touch a man, then you can fully expect I will abort my plan to woe you so circumspect," on the track "Indian Lover."

The CD plays like reading a diary, but not all of the album's tracks are depressing. "The Not So Pretty Princess" is full of pop wonder and is reminiscent of the hit "Rick James" from Jude's '98 release. "Sit Ups" also stands out as a head-bopping number with funky beats.

The son of a military man turned musician, Jude was raised in Boston with openness to music. He was sung to at night by his father and was encouraged to develop his creative side. Jude attended Emroy University, Boston University and the College of Charleston where he earned his degree in Philosophy. While in college, Jude sang a lot but it was after his father prompted him to pick up a guitar that he really began to experiment with music. Jude performed as part of a guitar duo at beer soaked gigs in Atlanta before turning to write his own material.

In 1994 Jude moved to L.A. and landed a couple hours of studio time in exchange for $100. The resulting tracks, including an early version of "I Do," became the songs that made up Jude's 1997 debut album "430 N. Harper Avenue." Released on L.A. indie label, Fish of Death, the mostly acoustic recording was noticed by Maverick Records, who signed Jude that same year.

Jude released "No One Is Really Beautiful" in 1998 which featured the folk yet hip-hop inflected single "Rick James," the lyrically driven pop of "I'm Sorry Now," and "I Know," the standout song from the multi-platinum "City of Angels" soundtrack.

The soundtrack led Jude to tours with Michelle Branch, Ben Folds Five, Dido, Train and Chris Issak among others.

For those who think they haven't heard any of Jude's music, they may be wrong if they are fans of the WB network. "Dawson's Creek," "Alias" and "Smallville" have all used some of his songs during their shows. Jude can also be heard during the films "Bubble Boy," "The Animal," "Not Another Teen Movie" and "City of Angels."

Although Jude is not touring much at the moment, he can often be seen at Largo, an intimate all ages venue in Los Angeles. The club doesn't sell tickets to shows but takes seat reservations for dinner and also allows people to line up before shows in hopes of being able to be one of the lucky people who get to stand and watch shows put on by musical artists and comedians.

For those lucky enough to make it into Largo or any of Jude's shows, they may hear Jude cover snippets or even full versions of anything from Lionel Richie or Journey to Duran Duran or Nirvana. Jude is known for covering an array of artists and putting on a charismatic show that involves talking to the audience a lot.

Whether it's a demi-opera or another album made in less than two weeks, hopefully Jude will not remain as silent as he has in the past. For the present, and most likely the future, he will be known either way, as the King of Yesterday.