Thursday, October 05, 2017

NEW RELEASES: VIVIAN GREEN – VGVI; HOLOPHONOR – LIGHT MAGIC; CHARLOTTE DOS SANTOS - CLEO

VIVIAN GREEN – VGVI

A fantastic new direction for Vivian Green – and a record that seems to have the singer setting her sound on fire all over again! In the notes, Green credits co-producer Kwame Holland for giving her career all new energy – and that claim definitely comes through in the music, which bristles with vitality throughout, while still holding onto the strong tradition of songwriting that Vivian's given us on her previous albums! There's a crisp crackle here that's really inspiring – a clarity that's followed through in every aspect of the record – and while we've always loved Vivian, the set has us taking new notice of her music all over again. Titles include "Vibes", "I Don't Know", "Sunglasses", "Supa Dope Fresh Beat Show", "Mutal Feelings", "Just Like Fools", "The 1st Time", "Happy With You", and "That's What Love Can Do". ~ Dusty Groove

HOLOPHONOR – LIGHT MAGIC

A group with vibes in the lead – which might already have been enough to win us over – save for the fact that everything else about the record is great, too – including its production by Wayne Shorter! Forget all about Shorter, though – because although he champions the group, they hardly need his help at all – as they're a wonderfully strong, very soulful ensemble who are very much headed in the right direction – with that kind of fresh, young voice in jazz that we maybe heard years ago when Black/Note first appeared on the scene – although these guys have a vision that's all their own, and a sound that gets nicely spiritual at times too. The group features vibes from Diego Urbano, alto from Josh Johnson, trumpet from Mike Cottone, trombone from Eric Miller, piano from Miro Sprague, bass from Dave Robaire, and drums from Jonathan Pinson – a big group, but one with a razor-sharp focus throughout – on songs that include "Santa Ynez", "Choose Your Adventure", "Three Song", "Pioneer", "Dream Space", "Light Magnet", "E Force 3", and "Invisible Cities".  ~ Dusty Groove

CHARLOTTE DOS SANTOS - CLEO

Charlotte Dos Santos is a hell of a singer, and one with a really amazing range – able to float to the top of heavenly spaces with her light inflections in the music, but also tied strongly to the planet with a mellow-stepping soulful groove! The blend of lightness and depth here is wonderful – a nice change from the usual underground soul material, as is Charlotte's lyrical approach – almost as lightly poetic as her voice, but more solid too – with a vibe that's completely unique, and which (we hope!) means that we'll be hearing plenty from her in years to come! The album's got this wonderful recasting of Freddie Hubbard's classic "Red Clay" – plus the tracks "Summer Is Icumen In", "Good Sign", "King Of Hearts", "It's Over Bobby", "Watching You", and "Move On". ~ Dusty Groove


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