Album review overview: Halestorm, Tingvall Trio 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.

Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra – Golden Lady

Take: a robust rhythm section, a substantial portion of brass work of various makes, and a powerhouse with a throat capable of uprooting trees. Mix that with soul, gospel and jazz, including a mash-up of Stevie Wonder’s “Golden Lady” and “Golden” by Jill Scott, and there you have it: a record that should be granted protected monument status, as a tribute to black, female songwriters. But it must be said that this is primarily thanks to the formidable vocals of Tatiana Ladymay Mayfield. Without those vocals, this album by the Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra would be considerably less interesting. Moreover, Mayfield co-wrote her compositions, such as the personal “Metamorphosis”, a highlight of the album. The same certainly applies to the opener “Hold Tight”, with a brilliant saxophone solo by Bob Reynolds. The soul in Mayfield’s voice is palpable in the slower songs like “Golden Lady” and “It’s Whatever”, tracks that provide lovely variation with the more up-tempo work. It’s precisely in those pieces that one notices how ingenious the arrangements are for the brass and strings. But just as the album opens, the Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra also closes the record: with the banger “You’ll Never Get To Heaven (If You Break My Heart)”. All in all, a fine record, but primarily thanks to the vocals of a lady with golden vocal cords. (Jeroen Mulder) (7/10) (Colorado Jazz)

Edenya – The Secret Destination You Are Looking For

The French band Edenya plays a mixture of (prog) rock, ambient and folk. The first few tracks are predominantly calm. Yet the tempo in part of “The Outing”, for example, is somewhat higher, and there are several rocking elements. The differences in volume between the calm and rocking parts are too small. This causes the music to lack intensity. The sound of the cymbals is also rather tinny. The blend/alternation between rock and folk (and violin) is good. “Foreign Ground” has an engaging composition and contains excellent interplay between, amongst others, Arabic/Eastern influences, rocking/acoustic guitar playing and djembe. At times, there are too many repetitions in the otherwise fine title track. Several numbers are (largely) classically oriented. The music sometimes lacks warmth, and therefore touches me less than I would like. The high vocals have a rather sharp sound; in “Lady”, the vocals don’t sound stable everywhere. I do notice that the album is sung and played with emotion, but that doesn’t come across quite right. A pity, because most numbers do have a good structure. (7/10) (Bad Dog Promotions)

Tingvall Trio – Pax

After more than two decades, the internationally staffed Tingvall Trio continues to surprise us with their accessible piano trio jazz. For “Pax”, the trio—Swedish pianist Martin Tingvall, Cuban double bassist Omar Rodriguez Calvo, and German drummer Jürgen Spiegel—travelled to their favourite ARTE SUONO studio in Italy. The result is their most authentic and emotional work to date. The album opens powerfully with “Open Gate”, but immediately shows the refined dynamics that characterise “Pax”. Tingvall’s compositions move effortlessly between intimate ballads like “A Promise” and energetic anthems such as the infectious “Cruisin'”, a number that can easily compete with their classic hit “Hummingbird”. The album title has deep meaning: in times of global unrest, Tingvall calls for reflection and peace. Production-wise, “Pax” sounds clearer and more direct than their previous albums. The trio has never sounded so unpolished and lifelike, with every nuance of Rodriguez Calvo’s warm bass lines and Spiegel’s subtle rhythmics perfectly captured. Highlights include, besides “Cruisin'”, the melancholic “Life Will Go On” and the fragile beauty of “Goodbye”. “Pax” confirms why the Tingvall Trio has won the Jazz Award in gold eight times. This is accessible jazz of the highest level, which touches both heart and mind. (Jan Vranken) (8/10) (Skip Records)

Halestorm – Everest

With “Everest”, Halestorm have delivered their most ambitious and experimental album. For their sixth studio work, the rockers from Pennsylvania collaborated with producer Dave Cobb, known for his work with country legends, in Savannah, Georgia. The result is a dark, raw record that dares to push the boundaries of their sound. From opener “Fallen Star”, “Everest” shows a band that consciously steps away from their trusted recipe. The title track builds slowly towards a menacing climax, in which Arejay Hale’s drum work reveals a new dimension. Lzzy Hale’s voice sounds more emotional than ever, especially in the beautiful “Like A Woman Can”, a song that reminds you of their breakthrough hit “Love Bites (So Do I)” but with more soul and vulnerability. Cobb’s production gives the songs unprecedented intensity. Numbers like the furious “WATCH OUT!” and the experimental “K-I-L-L-I-N-G” show Halestorm at their heaviest, whilst tracks like “Rain Your Blood On Me” respond to current societal themes. Not every experiment succeeds equally well; some songs miss the directness of their classic material. “Everest” isn’t an easy album, but it grows with each listen. It shows a mature band that dares to experiment without losing its identity. For those who appreciate progressive development in hard rock, this is a fascinating statement. (Anton Dupont) (8/10) (Atlantic Records)

Ron Blake – SCRATCH Band

It was an intriguing preview, the track that appeared on streaming platforms a week ago. “Lift Every Voice and Sing”: the ‘black national anthem’ that was written as a poem in 1900 by James Weldon Johnson and set to music by his brother J. Rosamond Johnson. Music that saxophonist Ron Blake has now reinterpreted, assisted by bassist Rueben Rogers and drummer John Hadfield. In such a minimal line-up, every note must hit home and transport the listener into rapture. And it does. Rogers introduces the hymn in a particularly delicate manner with refined playing, in which he lets notes flow into each other, also by playing with the tuning mechanism of the bass. The goosebumps remain thick on the skin afterwards when we hear the first sounds from the saxophone. It creates towering expectations for the rest of the album, titled “SCRATCH band”. The record opens with “Bassman”, an interpretation that sets the tone for the entire album. Rogers and Blake give each other colour, propel each other to great heights, whilst Hadfield’s brushes provide the unshakeable confidence of a soft landing so that a piece always comes to a good end. This applies not only to the standards on the album, but certainly also to their compositions, including the funky “Appointment” and the closing “April’s Fool”: sax and bass dance with each other in remarkable rhythms, with space for each to excel in solos, but they never really let each other go. And the listener? They just want more of this. (Jeroen Mulder) (9/10) (7tēn33 Productions)