Album review overview: Nick Drake, Aamarae and more

Dozens of new albums arrive at Maxazine’s editorial staff every week. There are too many to listen to, 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.

Kaitlyn Fay – Cockeyed Optimist

“Curiosity”: with this track, singer Kaitlyn Fay made her debut in 2013. We’ve had to curb our curiosity for a long time, as only now is it time for the follow-up. On “Cockeyed Optimist” the American presents fourteen songs, including jazz standards, American songbook classics, and original compositions. Fay is accompanied by keyboardist David Gleason and guitarist Wyatt Ambrose: minimal instrumentation and arrangements that truly allow the focus to rest on the vocals. The title track is immediately an appealing opener and underscores what Fay says about herself: she has indeed grown as a singer. It’s all much more confident than on the debut. You can hear this, for example, in a classic like “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning”. Can it compete with Ol’ Blue Eyes’ indestructible version? Does it matter? Fay sings it beautifully, restrained, controlled, with even a slight gravelly edge. Still, we had hoped for more original work. Of the fourteen tracks, only “Worthy” is written by herself: a beautiful song that shows Fay is not only a singer but also an excellent composer. For “The Love in Your Eyes” and the closing “Old Time Revival Blues” she collaborated with Gleason, whilst for a couple of other songs, she wrote new lyrics. An example of this is “3000 Miles To Go” by John Clayton Jr., and honestly, this track is truly carried by Gleason’s piano playing. The vocals, on the other hand, sound somewhat forced, though Fay demonstrates that she possesses a tremendous range and corresponding vocal technique. Excellent album for vocal jazz enthusiasts. (Jeroen Mulder) (8/10) (5495716 Records DK)

Nick Drake – The Making of Five Leaves Left (reissue)

After years of strict control by his estate, Nick Drake fans finally get a behind-the-scenes look at his legendary debut. This four-disc box set reveals more than 30 unpublished recordings from the “Five Leaves Left” sessions of 1969, including student demos recorded in a Cambridge student room and the very first Sound Techniques session. The collection shows Drake as a confident, charming young man, far from the melancholic image often portrayed. His voice sounds clear and optimistic as he gives instructions about string arrangements. Highlights include the bare version of “Fruit Tree” with a flamenco intro and the beautiful demo of “Made to Love Magic”, where Drake explains how a flute should accompany his guitar. The price is considerable, and some recordings feel fragmentary, but this fits with the experimental character of this period. Just as “River Man” takes you on a dreamy journey, these demos take you into Drake’s creative laboratory. An essential addition that only strengthens Drake’s greatness and pierces the myth with human warmth and artistic ambition. Brilliant. (Jan Vranken) (9/10) (Island/UMe)

Amaarae – Black Star

The Ghanaian-American pop star Amaarae lets loose on her third album, a hyper-glossy ode to Black diaspora dance music. “Black Star”, named after Ghana’s national symbol, is a kaleidoscopic journey through baile funk, amapiano and ghettotech, peppered with guest appearances from PinkPantheress and Naomi Campbell. “S.M.O.” opens with highlife-inspired sultriness, whilst “Kiss Me Thru The Phone pt.2” with PinkPantheress uses an ambient flip of Sisqó’s “Thong Song” for parasocial romance. Amaarae’s whispered vocals float over sparkling synths and log drums, creating a sonic world that feels both intimate and cosmic. The first part of the album sometimes feels bloodless, despite the technical perfection. Numbers like “Starkilla” miss the playful chemistry that made her previous work so compelling. Only from “Girlie-Pop!” onwards does the album truly ignite. Just as FKA twigs in “Two Weeks” weaves sexuality with avant-garde pop, Amaarae dances on the border between experimental and mainstream. A bold but uneven step towards pop stardom. (Elodie Rernard) (7/10) (Interscope Records)

Ada Lea – When I Paint My Masterpiece

After four years of silence, Montreal singer-songwriter Alexandra Levy returns with a meditative masterpiece about the transformative power of art. Recorded in rural Ontario, this sixteen-track opus combines folk, indie-rock and experimental elements in an organic soundscape that rewards slow listening. Levy’s poetic specificity shines on numbers like “baby blue frigidaire mini fridge”, an inventory of her daily life including Paul Celan and Thelonious Monk references. The title track subtly references Bob Dylan’s song of the same name, but makes something entirely original from it. Producer Luke Temple (known from Adrianne Lenker productions) gives the songs a warm, living breath. The core quartet played live off the floor without a click track, resulting in natural human timing. Different voices are explored – from the whispered intimacy of “Something in the Wind” to the double-layered harmonies of “Midnight Magic”. An album that finds beauty in the everyday and proves that perfection needn’t be the goal, the process is the art. (Jan Vranken) (8/10) (Saddle Creek Records)

Mal Blum – The Villain

Six years after “Pity Boy”, Mal Blum returns with a provocative exploration of morality, identity and perception. “The Villain” uses the archetypal villain as a lens to examine complex human emotions, informed by Blum’s trans-masculine perspective and voice in a lower register after years of testosterone. Producer Jessica Boudreaux helps Blum craft a sound that weaves indie rock, alt rock, and pop with campiness and sharp lyricism. “Killer” plays with transphobia by singing “I killed the previous tenant/in my head/or so they said”, whilst the title track “The Villain” turns the spotlight back on self-examination. “Must Get Lonely” and “Gabriel” show Blum’s ability to make personal stories universal. “Gemini v. Cancer” is a slimy, lightly manic pop tune that draws inspiration from the zodiac for relationship drama. Just as Perfume Genius in “On the Floor” combines vulnerability and strength, Blum uses self-mockery as a weapon against prejudice. A brave album that rejects flat narratives and embraces complexity in polarised times. (Norman van den Wildenberg) (8/10) (Get Better Records)