| Blues-Rock |
As you know, the singer Layla Zoe holds a special place in our hearts, an incomparable showgirl with a strong and distinctive style, improving with each passing year. While this album remains a blues-rock album, it’s on the softer tracks that we can truly witness the extent of her vocal qualities. Like Big Daddy Wilson, she has been based in Germany for a long time and has been working with the same musicians, whom she never fails to thank, whether on stage or in her communications. As seen in her press release to introduce her new album: “This is one of my best live albums to date, and I am so proud of the music that my band members, Krissy Matthews (guitar), Paul Jobson (bass and keyboards), Felix Dehmel (drums), and I have created together on stage. Thirty concerts in two months in six countries, ending in one of my favorite concert venues in Europe, created the perfect atmosphere, dynamics, and sound quality on stage for this double album. Recorded, mixed, and mastered by the incredible Martin Meinschaefer and featuring beautiful live versions of songs from some of my best albums, ‘Gemini,’ ‘Breaking Free,’ and ‘The World Could Change,’ this album is something I am deeply proud of, and I can’t wait to share it with all of you! A huge thank you to my dear fan Toon van Gerven for the beautiful photo we used for the cover, and to the amazing Nora Van Rijn (@vanrijndesign) for her graphic artistry and creativity.”
The live format suits her so well, and this album is so perfectly executed that it’s a real joy to rediscover Layla after this pandemic that put everyone on hold for a while. Something has changed in many artists, and Layla is one of them – deeper, more intense. You can truly feel it on this album, which is even more musical than the others, somewhat reminiscent of jazz albums with tracks that go on for over 8 or 10 minutes. On these tracks, Layla gives it her all, enhances her performance, pushes herself, and offers a magical version of “Roses & Lavender.” Indeed, on “Back To The Spirit Of 66,” there is a different artistic approach compared to her previous albums, which inevitably leads us to imagine her next studio album, which will certainly be very different, as Layla Zoe’s artistic evolution is perfectly evident here.
We can only recommend this magnificent album, which ends, like all good movies, with a love song… “He Loves Me.” Thank you, Layla. The years go by, and you still think of us by sending us your albums. This one receives the “Essentials” logo from the editorial teams of Bayou Blue Radio and Paris Move.
Thierry De Clemensat
USA correspondent – Paris-Move
Editor in chief Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, September 1st 2023
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