Reviewed! YolanDa Brown - April Showers, May Flowers: Live Sessions
YolanDa Brown
April
Showers, May Flowers: Live Sessions
Touring the world with her brand of jazz,
saxophonist YolanDa Brown is amongst Britain’s top musical exports. The only
reason she flies so far under the mainstream radar is the genre she works in,
but this new album April Showers, May
Flowers: Live Sessions leaves no doubt in her abilities.
Largely, this is a collection of slow
build jazz tracks that really allow Brown to show her range behind the
reed. It’s built for those with
patience, a slow pace dominating the album before the final selection of songs
pick it up a bit – and it’s from here things get really strong.
“Nothing To Say” really packs a punch
after a slower, flowing section of the album, with a straight beat and a nice
groove. There are some nice drums in this track too – subtle, but highly
technical. Next up “Bittersweet” is arguably the strongest track here –
switching between 5/4 and 4/4 rhythms effectively and offering something new,
before “Good Morning” rounds things off with another solid jazz groove.
Overall then, April Showers, May Flowers: Live Sessions is an album that rewards
patience; an album that is consistently high quality, and really picks it up
towards the end.
Grade: B-
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