Disk of 2021

Archive: 2022 | 2021 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013

Veronica Swift - 'This Bitter Earth' album - Jazzy Hour, May 11th, 2021

Of all the jazz soloists I've listened to lately, Veronica Swift most surprised me with her timbre and technique, but especially with the meaning, consistency and melodicity of vocal improvisation.The instinct fueled by the musical culture/knowledge, the refined expression and the easiness, the real pleasure of commenting/interpreting, of paraphrasing the themes, the comforting swing so well drawn define us a modern artist who continues with style and class the line well marked by Ella Fitzgerald, then by Dianne Reeves.The first album, "Confessions", gives us the first clues, and "The Bitter Earth", the second material, released in 2021, takes us to another level, where the voice and mastery of interpretation are complemented by a unitary atmosphere, concept and message . The 27-year-old soloist sings with pleasure and a lot of talent and at the same time exposes some of the problems that a woman her age perceives in the world she wants better.In the manner of classic albums such as Marvin Gaye's "What's going on" or Kate Bush's "Hounds of love", the series of songs on "The Bitter Earth" touches on topics such as discrimination, abuse, xenophobia or fake news, but not as an activist but as an observer. And even if we focus only on music, which I always recommend, we listen to an exceptional album, diverse and well defined stylistically.Accompanied by a supergroup consisting of pianist Emmet Cohen, guitarist Armand Hirsch, flutist Aaron Johnson, bassist Yasushi Nakamura and drummer Bryan Carter, Veronica Swift selects a material that covers several genres, such as jazz, musical, r'n'b or rock, united by orchestration and improvisation, through a wonderful group relationship. You can feel the preparation, the album settled in time, with a cohesive narrative and songs that are related to the artist's life. With "The Bitter Earth", Veronica Swift continues her path as a torchbearer in the 21st century.