Album review overview: Shawn Pittman, Emily Saunders and more

Dozens of new albums arrive at Maxazine’s editorial staff every week. There are way too many to listen to them all, let alone review them. It ensures that too many albums are left behind. And that’s a shame. That is why today we post an overview of albums that arrive at the editors in short reviews.

Jess Yaffa – Thoughts That Keep Me Up At Night

Since 2018, Jess Yaffa has been making her mark with singles and EPs. Now, the New York-based singer’s debut album has finally arrived. An album that embraces pure energy and vulnerability, wrapped in deep production. On “Thoughts That Keep Me Up at Night,” the 23-year-old singer-songwriter transforms personal experiences into captivating pop-rock anthems. With the support of Grammy winner Scott Jacoby, Yaffa creates a rebellious and deeply introspective sound. The album reveals Yaffa’s authenticity through her hands-on approach: she not only writes her music but also fully guards her artistic vision. The opening track “Too Soon” makes a strong entrance with immediate musical conviction, partly due to the drums. From “Suburban Dystopia,” which at times reminds one of Joss Stone, to “Will I See You Again,” Yaffa explores the challenges of being young with a sincerity that is recognizable to a generation searching for self-identity. Tracks like “In The Key of Chaos” and the more robust “Just for One Night” showcase her dynamic vocal range and ability to capture complex emotions in catchy melodies. Her music perfectly balances vulnerability and rebellion, resulting in a debut that is more than just a collection of songs. Yaffa has a delightful, sometimes rebellious, sometimes sweet voice that isn’t afraid to dig deep and be honest in the pop-rock scene. A promise fulfilled. (Norman van den Wildenberg) (7/10) (Pleasant Ridge Records)

Emma Rawicz and Gwilym Simcock – Big Visit

Inspiration is an elusive phenomenon. Blessed is the artist who feels it rolling through their mind in waves, but more often certain conditions must be met to create new work. The mind must be empty, torn from the hustle and demands of everyday life. London saxophonist Emma Rawicz and pianist Gwilym Simcock found peace and space in West Sussex, far away from the big bands and orchestras with which the two typically work and for which they are highly appreciated worldwide. But it was time for something different. As many writers, poets, and composers have experienced, the silence of the countryside worked purifyingly. The result is this “Big Visit” with six compositions that may be small in design for just saxophone and piano, but grand in the relaxed atmosphere that the pieces evoke; free jazz compositions in which the notes tumble and roll over and through each other like children who, without any burden or care, challenge each other and embark on a new game as a great adventure. The opening “His Great Adventure” is aptly chosen and leads the listener further into a world full of memories that Rawicz and Simcock have set to music, characterized by an almost playful performance. The two musicians don’t play. Rawicz and Simcock dance, with the two musicians perfectly sensing each other, down to the smallest details. Because that stands out: the attention to even the smallest notes: everything is delivered with equal care, nowhere does the playfulness lead to sloppiness. The art is to make the whole sound as natural, as easy as possible. The duo succeeds in this with verve. Highlights are “The Drumbledrone” (as the bumblebee is called in southwest England, Devon) and “The Shape of a New Sun,” referring to a new, hopeful time and implicitly to the innocence that only children still seem to experience. We hear the innocence. We hear the freedom. Let’s dance. (Jeroen Mulder) (8/10) (ACT Music)

Shawn Pittman – My Journey

Born in Oklahoma in 1974, Shawn Pittman is a musician who can now be considered seasoned and experienced. His musical career has taken him around the world. He has collaborated with artists such as Double Trouble, Susan Tedeschi, Sam Myers, Anson Funderburgh, Mike Morgan, and many others. Pittman is regarded as one of the most important representatives of modern Texas blues. His first solo album was released in 1998, and recently, his fifteenth has been released, titled “My Journey.” The album contains eleven tracks, nine of which were written by Pittman himself. He receives support from Erkan Özdemir (bass) and his son Levent Özdemir (drums). The Texas Horns (Mark ‘Kaz’ Kazanoff and John Mills) provide the superior brass work. Simon Oslender can be heard on Hammond, and Roel Spanjers participates on three tracks on piano and accordion. The album starts smoothly with “Until The Time Is Right,” followed by the boogie “Damage Is Done.” It is very varied and offers alternating fast, swinging numbers, boogie, ballads, and slow blues. From beginning to end, it remains exciting. Each track is well-constructed and well-executed. There are no weak tracks among them. Still, I’ll mention a few that deserve special mention: besides the already mentioned opening track “Until The Time Is Right,” also the swinging “Blame It On Me,” Little Milton’s well-known “That’s What Love Will Make You Do,” and the title track “My Journey.” The latter is a beautiful musical representation of the journey Pittman has made over the years. It has become an excellent album—well-written, expertly performed. A strong piece of modern blues and, therefore, definitely recommended. (Eric Campfens) (9/10) (Must Have Records / Continental Record Services)

Girlpuppy – Sweetness

Becca Harvey’s second album as Girlpuppy promises much but delivers little. “Sweetness” presents itself as a personal, lyrically rich record but drowns in a monotonous wall of sound that becomes boring after just three tracks. Harvey’s voice, although technically competent, lacks character and remains stuck in the same emotional registers. The shoegaze-like production style seems more like a cheap trick to mask a lack of musical ideas than a conscious artistic choice. The presence of members from Beach Fossils and Horse Jumper of Love cannot save this record from the clearance-sale production style that flattens any potential nuance. Songs like “I Just Do!” and “Windows” try to impress with references to Fleetwood Mac but never get beyond superficial nostalgia. Harvey’s attempt at a personal processing album is ultimately just as generic as the title track suggests: sweet but without flavor, a cotton candy of sound that disappears the moment you bite into it. A more annoying album is hard to find this year. (Jan Vranken) (4/10) (Captured tracks)

Emily Saunders – Moon Shifts Oceans

Singer and composer Emily Saunders really has just one goal: to make music that brings joy, as she stated in an interview with the English Jazz Journal. That’s a commendable aim that stems from a difficult childhood in which Saunders even fled her parental home for a time as a teenager. As is often the case, a troubled youth leads to creative excellence, which this album testifies to. “Moon Shifts Oceans” is a jazz album, although Saunders uses jazz primarily as a musical home where everything and everyone is welcome, as long as it enriches. She does this cleverly with influences from drum ‘n bass, funk (“Sideways”), and even reggae (the bass line under “Rugged Waves”). The Londoner also has something to say, as in “Blue Skies Forever,” which calls for unity because we are all essentially the same. In “Mashup,” there’s a sharp condemnation of the division caused by the fact that a handful of wealthy people determine the fate of many, usually the less fortunate. In the aforementioned interview, Saunders states that she had Zappa as inspiration for this. That’s a big name that few dare to mention, and even fewer artists dare to compare themselves to the man who was synonymous with musical innovation. But to be fair: in this case, it’s not seriously misplaced: the hooks in the unusual time signature could indeed have been on a Zappa album. Another similarity is that Saunders, like the great mustachioed master, maintains control over the entire creative process, from writing to final production, which she also does herself, meticulously sculpting each layer on top of another layer. And that’s where it goes wrong: at times, it’s too contrived, and you wish that, particularly, the reverb and echo possibilities in Pro Tools were somewhat more limited. Dosing is also an art. One that Zappa did master. (Jeroen Mulder) (7/10) (The Mix Sounds)