Clonmell Jazz Social
The latest release from the carefully curated Clonmell Jazz Social label finds singer-songwriter Georgia Duncan teaming up with CJS stalwart Harry Christelis on guitar, bass luminary Ruth Goller and percussionist Yusuf Ahmed to put some structure to her luminous tales of love and wonder.
Spread across ten tracks,
Four Ways To The Sun highlights Georgia’s warm, mysterious voice and paints her imagery in a balm of soft focus jazz and folky flecks. It is a dreamy, ethereal sound that opens the album with a voice that has a depth but sounds
cool; languid. Harry’s crystalline guitar picks its way through the melody and the simple drums and wandering bass enhance the procession. The rhythms have a gentle gait and there is plenty of space to revel in the voice and the jazzy guitar that barks at the sweet harmonies.
Some of the songs, like “Linger”, creep along with the lyrics deeply questioning as the fuzzy, distorted guitar explores the textures of the heavy drums while elsewhere, as on “Flight”, everything is stripped back, skeletal touches of
vocal harmony swept along by the gentle rhythm. There is a real change of feel on the ancient “Song From A Yew” as the voice drifts through a misty woodland, unencumbered yet yearning. The minimal instrumentation with hesitant drums softens the sense of heartache, abstract treated guitar shining like points of light through the canopy.
These changes of momentum give the album a sense of season and the heavenly warm harmonies that accompany Georgia on “Mud Slick And Feather” are a real joy, a sun-kissed dream that holds you in a soft embrace. When accompanied by simple guitar you can’t escape the subtle breath of the voice; it beckons with a hint of mystery like a stranger seen across a room, but the addition of some playful flute as on “Opening” helps to show two sides of her character.
There is a real proficiency and intelligence to the song-writing and for a debut is is pretty impressive. There is
steely yet vulnerable side shown on the long and intricate “What You Thought Was Missing” as the fitful flute is buoyed by a strong rhythm, while the shimmering, urgent percussion on “The Walls” gives a dramatic backdrop for some serious questions.
The album ends with “Stillness” and it feels like a release of breath; but there is some sense of melancholy in the gorgeous vocal melody that has sweetness lying at its heart. It is an earworm of an ending and one that feels
like a springboard to more. For the time, being
Four Ways To The Sun is a delightful opening gambit and one that rewards repeated listening.
-Mr Olivetti-
The latest release from the carefully curated Clonmell Jazz Social label finds singer-songwriter Georgia Duncan teaming up with CJS stalwart Harry Christelis on guitar, bass luminary Ruth Goller and percussionist Yusuf Ahmed to put some structure to her luminous tales of love and wonder.
