ANGELA JOHNSON - NATURALLY ME
Every
new album from Angela Johnson turns out to be a treasure – but this set may
well be one of the best she's done in years – and a really strong step forward
for the singer! The music has this full, rich style that almost feels like
classic soul at times – not a retro 60s vibe, but a really powerful use of
rhythms and instrumentation to push Johnson's sublime vocals at a level we've
never heard before – a really fresh mode that's completely current, yet very
aware of the best sounds of decades past as well! We might liken the approach
to Swing Out Sister at their recent best – even though the record's nothing
like theirs at all – and our hats are off to Angela for continuing to win us
over and over again after all these years – especially when she could have just
been sitting back and doing the same old thing. Titles include "To Love
Again", "Deja Vu", "Black Boy Lullaby",
"Handz", "Music's My Religion", and "A Beautiful
Place". ~ Dusty Groove
KOSI - PICTURES OF ME
A really
wonderful singer, with a very unique style – one that's rooted in jazz, but has
an acoustic soul as well – set up perfectly here in these laidback arrangements
that really let Kosi soar strongly on her own! The music is mostly jazz at the
core – with wonderfully clean, clear guitar lines, rich acoustic bass, and
occasional work on trumpet and tenor – but Kosi's vocals are clearly center
stage, and have this slow-burning power that's undeniable – able to inflect,
twist, and turn like a jazz vocalist – yet delivering original, very personal
lyrics that are filled with soul. Most tunes are originals – including
"Brianna", "I Already Know", "Valerie",
"Your Angel", and "Hoboken Blues" – but the album also
features great versions of "Wild Is The Wind" and "The Star
Crossed Lovers". ~ Dusty
Groove
JOHN
ZORN / BILL FRISELL / KENNY WOLLESN / CAROL EMANUAL – TESTAMENT OF SOLOMON:
MUSIC FROM THE SEFER SHIRIM SHEL SHIR HASHIRIM
One of
the most beautiful groups that John Zorn's been working with in recent years –
a heavenly trio that features Bill Frisell on guitar, Kenny Wollesen on vibes,
and Carol Emanuel on harp – all working together with a very unique sound! The
mix of instruments is wonderful throughout – unlike anything else we've ever
heard (save the previous records by the trio) – with the vibes ringing out in
bold, chromatic hues – echoed by Frisell's guitar, and then given these gentler
plucked undercurrents by the harp – all at a level that's jazzier than some of
John Zorn's other compositional projects, but still with a unique style of its
own. The music draws inspiration from The Song Of Solomon, but only at a very
spiritual level – and titles include "Tappuha", "Berotim",
"Otyah", "Sammatek", and "Alamot". ~ Dusty Groove
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