| Jazz |
This album is not without reminding of some early 2000s Swedish pop singers’ albums, except here we are in the realm of airy jazz, with a voice that soars through the air to tell you its imaginary tales. “In Time” is the first album of original songs by singer and composer Alyssa Giammaria. Half of these songs (Conversations, Dream Life, For Now) were written in 2016 when Giammaria began to seriously explore her interest in music composition, while the other half was written in the months leading up to the summer 2022 recording session of the album (The Only Part, In Time, What Are the Words, Mend). A lively sound combination of fresh and energetic songs alongside a selection of more thoughtful and patient pieces. “In Time” is a beautiful portrait of the creative process in action by a rising young artist.
It’s an ascent that we wish her every success in, as Allyssa demonstrates a unique style that fits perfectly on the international jazz scene today or tomorrow. Indeed, the narrative aspect used throughout the album is highlighted by her quintet, which provides both a light backdrop that showcases the singer’s voice and the ability to offer purely musical passages without breaking the overall mood of the album. We love these timeless atmospheres, the acoustic aspect, the subtly escaping rhythms, the discreet effects sprinkled here and there, and we regret that the album is too short, consisting of only seven tracks, but it’s probably better to have seven well-crafted tracks than 13 or 14 redundant ones as we sometimes see.
The group is composed as follows: Alyssa Giammaria: vocals, compositions, Steven Noronha: piano, Josh Sparks: guitar, PT Sandberg: bass, Aidan McConnell: drums. Featuring: Aoife Louise-Doyle & Stephanie Sloss: vocals (3, 6, 7). Each musician is particularly interesting, and one can fully appreciate their arrangements by listening closely to this intimate album, which will be perfect for performances in intimate settings to fully appreciate all the artistic details.
One more, you might say, but indeed, the editorial teams of Bayou Blue Radio and Paris-Move have deemed this album absolutely “Essential.”
Thierry De Clemensat
USA correspondent – Paris-Move
Editor in chief Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, September 4th 2023
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