Tuesday, August 19, 2014

NEW RELEASES: ANGELA JOHNSON - NATURALLY ME; KOSI - PICTURES OF ME; JOHN ZORN / BILL FRISELL / KENNY WOLLESN / CAROL EMANUAL – TESTAMENT OF SOLOMON

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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