Vodka has always had a soft spot for vocal jazz, blues, and soul, particularly when such music uses modern-day influences to add texture-As long, that is, as those changes don’t compromise the integrity of the music. Enter Georgia Black, whose ode to the current pandemic and the superheroes who stay home to keep others safe, is a genre’ blending masterpiece. Musically, Invisible Enemy (seen/heard here), borrows heavily from the aforementioned genres with a soulful delivery by Black. The orchestration fills, touches of trip-hop,…
Read MoreVodka regulars will note that instrumental music of any kind is a rarity here. It’s not that I don’t like instrumental music, but for it to reach the blog, it really has to be accessible. Lydian Collective, Snarky Puppy, and The Fearless Flyers are just a few whom I believe have transcended the niche status. Enter Andrew Wasylyk, whose compositions are super-accessible and blend modern classical, ambient, and jazz to create a unique and wonderful soundscape. Awoke In The Early Days Of…
Read MoreI’m not a gamer, so the second thing I had to do when I decided to review Still Alive (seen/heard here) from The 8-Bit Big Band’s latest sophomore long-player, Choose Your Character! (June 2019), was to look up what the game, Portal, is. For non-gamer types like myself, here is how Wikipedia describes Portal’s gameplay: “Portal consists primarily of a series of puzzles that must be solved by teleporting the player’s character and simple objects using “the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device”, a device that can create…
Read MoreIt has been several weeks ago now that we first posted the wonderful I’ve Found You from We Are Leif and the group’s debut long-player, Breathe. If you have not run on out and picked up that long-player in some form (digital or physical) you are missing out on some great music! Here’s another awesome example from that same long-player, Transition, featuring Louise Victoria’s seemingly effortless jazz-vocal phrasing. For more information, as noted in the original review, there’s the band’s website, but the pedigree of this band runs deep. …
Read MoreIt’s been a few weeks now since I first introduced Vodka readers to Lydian Collective with the review of East and a nod to the LP. With the single release of High 555, I’ve got high hopes for another LP in the future. I’d like to highlight the joy with which these musicians play their music. Pay particular attention to the beaming smile of Sophie Alloway (drums). The bandmates obviously love performing their music-all of them-but Sophie is the picture of pure joy here. Lydian Collective’s embrace of everything…
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