Pete Josef's sophomore album "I Rise With The Birds"

Five long years have passed since Pete Josef’s debut album “Colour” caused a sensation worldwide amongst music lovers and critics alike. Since then, it’s hardly surprising that his steadily increasing fan base has been awaiting its follow up impatiently. “I Rise With The Birds” will be released in October on Sonar Kollektiv and one can say without doubt that the wait was well worth it. From the very first note of melody and right up until the last fades away, the album’s ten tracks pave a golden hour with food for thought about life’s ups and downs.

The blue-eyed soul singer from Bristol has come to be a well-respected multi-instrumentalist and producer over the years by elegantly merging jazz, soul, pop, and electronic music and collaborating with Manu Delago, Rag’n’Bone Man and Roni Size among others.

Taking all of the production reins himself, he brings in long-time Bristol collaborators John Pratt and Ben Plocki (saxes), Nick Malcolm and Gary Alesbrook (trumpets), Rory Francis and Justin Fellows (drums, percussion), Roshan ‘Tosh’ Wijetunge (double bass), Luke ‘Typesun’ Harney (drums) and of course, the voice of honey that so complimented Josef’s vocal on ‘Colour’ and beyond, Marie Lister.

Most featured perhaps are Barney Sage (drum kit); the rhythmic backbone behind six of the ten tracks, and the virtuosic Austrian string players that provide so many highlights throughout; Bernie Mallinger (Violin, Viola) and Clemens Sainitzer (Cello). Notable contributions also come from new-found musical inspirations, Blythe Peppino (vocals), Bill Banwell (bass) and Miguel Andrews (drums). The result is a work of utterly beautiful, layered compositions with lush orchestral arrangements, subtle electronic textures and heartfelt performances.

Throughout “I Rise With The Birds”, placid and jaunty moments balance each other perfectly. There is a broad and grand sense of scale to these songs but they never lose the intimacy or devotion we’ve come to expect from Pete Josef. Launching with “Night Eyes”, the opening provides a wake-up call after a seemingly never ending night. On tracks such as the beautifully melodic “This Sun”, Pete's soft vocals flow effortlessly over a soulful river of sound to provide a perfect ambience for hazy summer escapades. Dancefloor-ready tracks like “Giants” or “Mainframe” (the latter co-written by Alex Barck from Jazzanova and Sebastian Damerius) shift the dynamics and put this incredible album's versatility on full display. While songs like “Friend On The Line”, “Lavender” or the bittersweet “Snatching Time” confirm that this is his most accomplished piece of work to date, Pete Josef's pedigree as a singer-songwriter comes into full bloom.