Perhaps best known to listeners for her collaborations with Doug Carn in the early 1970s, Jean Carne has left a legacy that runs deep. She bridged a generational gap, coming from her earlier recordings that were rooted in Spiritual Jazz, towards Philly Soul, Disco, and R&B. In the process, Carne has worked with luminaries such as Azar Lawrence, Phyllis Hyman, Michael Jackson, Lonnie Liston Smith, Earth, Wind & Fire, and many others. It is near impossible to tune into pop music today and not hear a vocalist emulating, in some way or form, Carne’s distinct vocal acrobatics.
Here, Carne’s unmistakably limber voice flutters across seven tracks, exploring the possibilities and power of love- of self, of community, of powers from above. Reminiscent of masterworks by Weldon Irvine or Carne’s frequent collaborator Norman Connors, the arrangements crafted by Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad stand at the border of introspection and exuberance. “My Mystic Life” invites listeners to “come and find life on Mars” or “listen to the cosmos,” while “The Summertime” is a funky ode to hot pavement and looking your best.
“Black Love” is an impressionistic journey through soul and sound. The album closer from Jean Carne's upcoming LP for Jazz Is Dead deftly carves around Carne’s voice, giving it the same reverence reserved for a Renaissance sculpture. Continuing the album’s recurring themes of love and spirituality, Black Love is a tribute to the higher power of community. Like ascending through layers of clouds, the vocals build higher and higher, as Carne takes you to the album’s emotional apex. Reminiscent of Sarah Vaughn’s lush scat singing on standards like “Pinky,” Carne’s vocals cease to be of this world, instead only offering abstractions to capture such an immense and indescribable force that can protect, bring one home, and bring people together.
The mellow Funk percussion and hazy keys instantly recall ice cream trucks, running through sprinklers, and backyard BBQs with cool ease. Built around the universally relatable “feeling good in the Summertime,” the tune confidently cruises the same boulevards as Kool and the Gang and Roy Ayers do each year when the temperature starts to rise. Like the rest of Jean Carne JID012, “The Summertime” showcases Carne’s innate ability to animate the abstract, and to bring collective experiences and emotions to life.
"Black Rainbows" blossoms from a keyboard fantasy into a more percussion-driven number, all while giving Carne’s voice enough space to showcase her incredible talents. The title and refrain conjure memories of Sun Ra’s afrofuturism with graceful awe. As Carne’s voice fills the space, the tune slowly transforms from a meditation into a call for celebration, giving way to morse-code guitar that beckons listeners towards the dancefloor in the sky.
More than merely a survey or summary of Carne’s career, Jean Carne JID012 is a celebration of self-perseverance, and invites listeners to seek out and capture joy, and to love unapologetically.
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