– THE PEACEFUL PROTEST –

To most singers, losing their voice would be a fairly sizeable barrier to the whole concept of making another album. “I’ll have a sit back for a few months” you might think. “Pop a few Strepsils, catch up on Game of Thrones and I’ll be ‘reet in no time at all.”

Well, not so for Chicago-based singer-songwriter Gia Margaret. On her latest album, Mia Gargaret, she’s not only adapted, but whole-heartedly adopted her limitations; wearing them as if a fabulous, shimmering cloak of armour to be proudly flaunted in front of those of us who might have used the same period of time to simply develop an unhealthy Daenerys Targaryen obsession.

What the album loses in terms of Margaret’s airy delivery, it replaces with enveloping electronics, so warm they’re almost womb-like.

But what makes For Zoya in China so special is the new voices it brings to mind. For what she manages to do – and I feel pretty certain this was her intention – is somehow replicate the sound of birdsong on her synthesiser.

Over the gentle hum of the intro, these mechanical winged creatures twitter and flutter with such abandon and glee that one can imagine a wordless Margaret leaning against her window, coveting those bringing the dawn chorus outside.

It gives the whole record a levity and liberty that confounds its challenging conception.

If you like this try my review of Expanding Electricity by Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith.

Mia Gargaret is out now through Orindal Records.

HEAR MORE HERE

TEYANA TAYLOR: MADE IT
COMPRO ORO: BEN
KELEKETLA!: FUTURE TOYI TOYI
ANGELA TURONE + CHRIS PLATT: A FELICIDADE

THE OUTRO

And so we reach a cease-fire for this week.

You can find all of the tracks reviewed above in the 45 Revolutions per Minute playlist below or click to access the Future Jazz Playlist on Spotify itself.

And, as a special treat, you can find these five selections featured on the wonderful Jazzfuel New Jazz Releases playlist. Find out more about founder Matt Fripp and the site he set up to support and celebrate the global jazz community at https://jazzfuel.com/

If you like what you hear (or even if you don’t), please engage in dialogue with me @45rpm_Reviews on Twitter. And, if you’d like to receive updates weekly, please subscribe to the email list to get these recommendations sent to your inbox weekly.

Until next time, love and noise.

– SV –