Album review overview: Chick Corea, Fridayy 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.

Chick Corea – Trilogy 3

Where do you begin when writing about Chick Corea? The man can rightfully be named as one of the founders of fusion, he stood on stage with virtually all the greats of the earth and delivered absolute pearls in the genre with his Electric Band and Return to Forever. On this “Trilogy 3,” eight pieces are pressed in which the pianist is allowed to dance more freely than ever over the keyboard, accompanied by bassist Christian McBride and drummer Brian Blade. Eight pieces of considerable length were recorded during various concerts. And then you hear the limitation that a recording inevitably brings. In the hall, this must have been a true experience, while on record it sometimes sounds almost timid. It must have been a feast to see Blade at work, sometimes standing behind the drums. Or to see a tirelessly plucking McBride looking broadly smiling at the man behind the piano, understanding each other to the deepest fibre and feeling exactly where room for improvisations emerges with the typical unexpected turns that testify to deep musicality and true craftsmanship. Because Corea is still the undisputed master in that. Take just the opener “Humpty Dumpty.” You feel the sensation. You would have wanted to experience this. In addition, Corea shows that he is a brilliant pianist, including in Scarlatti’s “Sonata in D Minor K9.” Of course, this is a kind of best of, it provides an overview of the legacy that Corea leaves behind. Someday. The man is 84 after all. Time flies: “Tempus fugit,” not coincidentally chosen as the last piece on this album. (Jeroen Mulder) (8/10) (Candid Records)

Still Falling – Through Time And Flesh

Still Falling is a Greek death metal band. In the band bio, the music is described as progressive death metal, but I don’t hear the progressive aspect directly. The occasional tempo change, time signature shift, blast beat, or alternation between clean vocals and growls doesn’t immediately make you progressive. Still Falling is not a newcomer. Since 2012, these Greeks have released two EPs, two singles, and a full album titled “Free of Avidya.” The theme of this new EP is the relationship between humans and the divine. It is told in four tracks seen through the eyes of a human. The best track is the closing “Act IV: Through Time And Flesh.” Nicely brutal with guitar work reminiscent of Gojira. I’m afraid these Greeks won’t make much impact with this new EP either. The musical development is lacking, and despite their musical craftsmanship, Still Falling cannot distinguish itself from a large number of other bands in this genre. The fact that Still Falling has only released one album and still hasn’t managed to secure a record deal says enough in that regard. (Ad Keepers) (6/10) (SF records)

Yazz Ahmed – A Paradise in the Hold

For fans of Ibrahim Maalouf or Dhafer Youssef, “A Paradise in the Hold” comes as a sonic revelation. With this album, British-Bahraini trumpeter Yazz Ahmed reaches a creative peak that promises her breakthrough—given her prominent presence at upcoming jazz festivals. The opening piece “She Stands On the Shore” unfolds as a sonic meditation in which Ahmed’s brass instruments dance with percussive waves, enriched by Natacha Atlas’s ethereal vocals that float between worlds. “Waiting for the Dawn” transforms space into emotion; ambient textures and whispered percussion form the canvas on which Ahmed’s trumpet draws lines of light through misty horizons. Soundscapes become narrative forces here, in which melodies don’t drown but rather illuminate. This album, ten years in the making, delves deeper into Ahmed’s Bahraini heritage than her earlier works. The arrangements surprise with their originality—each note a carefully placed pearl in a chain of cultural duality. Her quarter-tone flugelhorn and the diverse vocal contributions weave a musical tapestry that feels both timeless and contemporary. Ahmed opens a sound world that invites European ears to dive deeper into harmonies and rhythms that resonate between cultures—a journey that, like the pearl divers to which the album refers, brings hidden treasures to the surface. (Jan Vranken) (9/10) (Night time stories)

Captain Morgan Express – The Pussycat Tapes

Dutch-based Captain Morgan Express is a band that has been around for about eleven years and has garnered praise with their albums and especially their performances. The band consists of Johnny ‘Boy’ Brouwer (vocals, blues harp), Hans Gerrietsen (guitar), Phil Admiraal (bass), and Frank Boot (drums). What is offered is a combination of boogie and blues, both from the deep south of the US and from Chicago. After the well-received “Fistful Of Dirt,” the unplugged “Naked To The Nipple,” and “No Weirdos Please,” their fourth album has now been released, titled “The Pussycat Tapes.” We’ve had to wait for about three years, and here it finally is. In the accompanying writing, the band itself says that despite its title, the album is anything but cuddly. And I can certainly confirm that after listening. The title is named after a street cat, which has been given the appropriate name Catfish and regularly appears in the studio during rehearsals. The rehearsal space is now called Studio Poes. The album contains eleven tracks, for which the gentlemen have drawn from the rich blues history. And this is interpreted in the band’s familiar raw and energetic manner. The album shows a variety of styles, ranging from boogie, shuffles, blues rock, and ballads, with extremes being the quiet “Guilty” and the raw “I’m Just Your Fool” or “Chicago Bound.” Drawing from the rich blues history, as I already described, of course, results in showcasing songs that have already appeared in dozens of forms. Yet the men of Captain Morgan Express manage to give it their twist, keeping it interesting. It’s an excellent CD. (Eric Campfens) (8/10) (Own production)

Fridayy – Somedays I’m Good, Somedays I’m Not

At the intersection of faith and contemporary R&B, Francis Leblanc’s latest work appears as a digital prayer struggling with its soul. “Somedays I’m Good, Somedays I’m Not” carries the promise of Fridayy’s spiritual heritage, but gets bogged down in production choices that stifle his authenticity. The album unfolds as a sterile perfection. “Sun Comes Down” bathes in over-polished sounds, each sound clinically purified until all vibrancy has disappeared. The collaboration with Nigerian star Teni on “Wait For Me” briefly shows what could have been possible, before this moment too drowns in vocal distortions and digital interference. Fridayy’s musical talent—shaped by years of church experience under his father’s pastoral guidance—gets buried under computational precision. Where his versatile instrumental skill could have created rich, lived-in landscapes, we wander through carefully laid out digital gardens with no room for expression. An album that reminds us of the double-edged production sword: what could have breathed with organic vitality now suffocates under technical display. A missed opportunity for true soul connection. (Elodie Renard) (5/10) (Lost in Melody/Def Jam)