Album Review: DNA from Mon David

-

Album:  DNA (David-Nelson-Agreement)
Artists:  Mon David and Josh Nelson
Label:  Dash Hoffman Records
Website:  mondavid.net
                joshnelsonmusic.com

Vocalist Mon David expresses the emotional depth of songs through the vibrant inflections in his voice.  A strapping crooner, David's latest release DNA is his collaboration with pianist Josh Nelson.  The acronym stands for David-Nelson-Agreement, a title that describes their collaboration and insight into what audiences will hear.  What audiences will hear is David and Nelson's refashioning of jazz standards and original straight-ahead jazz-inspired tunes, giving them a bright  torchlight gleam.

David lulls the listener into a blissful state through tracks like "Here's To Life" and "You Must Believe in Spring."  The gentle strokes of Nelson's keys shroud David's vocal inflections in sheaths of tender glitter.  The delicacy of the keys offer light twinkles sprinkled around David's voice, projecting a smooth, symphonic crooning.  The refined coiling and whorls in his voice make lyrics pop out at the listener.  The steadiness in his vocals enable his resonance to extend and retract with a elasticity that is reminiscent of world class, old school singers like Johnny Mathis and Tom Jones.

Mon David and Josh Nelson stay within the range of torchlight luminous.  DNA is David's fourth US release.  A trained instrumentalist as well as a vocalist with intensely strong vocal control, he sings at a symphonic pitch, exercising his instinct to improvise vocal coils, inflections and whorls with a world class, old school touch.

Musicians:
Mon David  - vocals
Josh Nelson  - keyboards

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Album Review: Becoming Marlene Dietrich from Myriam Phiro

-
Image
Album:  Becoming Marlene Dietrich Artist:  Myriam Phiro Label:  Self-Released Website:  www.myriamphiro.com Smooth jazz vocalist Myriam Phiro introduces a new generation of music listeners to jazz standards that made Marlene Dietrich famous in her time from the 1920's to 1940's with Phiro's new release Becoming Marlene Dietrich .  Although Phiro immerses herself in melodies that had been Dietrich's trademark tunes, Phiro tailors the songs to her likeness.  Her illustrious mezzo-soprano register is higher on the vocal spectrum than Dietrich's contralto pitch, which stamps the tracks with her own unique nuances and inflections.  Her treatment of the verses is finessed with a distinctly soft, feminine touch and a delightfully, hypnotic resonance, setting her style apart from Dietrich's. Her vocals cradle the lyrics of "Quand L’Amour Meurt," written by Georges Crémieux and Octave Millandy, with a warmth that penetrates the listener's soul as Hyuna Park...
Read more

Album Review: The Ways In from James Zollar

-
Image
Album:  The Ways In Artist:  James Zollar Label:  Label: JZAZ Records Websites:  https://www.rsberkeley.com/james-zollar https://www.discogs.com/artist/954763-James-Zollar https://wyntonmarsalis.org/personnel/detail/james-zollar A straight-ahead jazz oeuvre, The Ways In from bandleader and trumpet player James Zollar resumes a quest where pioneers of the trumpet's sympathetic vibrations like Clifford Brown and Bill Coleman left off.  Zollar shows audiences the delightful, melodious tone of the trumpet, moving in harmony with an array of brass, woodwinds, and rhythm instruments. The robust wails of Zollar's trumpet strutting languidly along "Do Nothing 'till You Hear From Me" emotes an enduring personable trait, unwavering persistence in the face of being dejected.  The recording switches to a joyful atmosphere in "Swing Spring" with jangly beats from percussionist Chembo Corniel, interfacing with the buoyant ripples generated by Michael Rorby's trom...
Read more

Album Review: Globetrotter from Luca di Luzio

-
Image
Album:  Globetrotter Artist:  Luca di Luzio Label:  Self-Released Website:  www.lucadiluzio.it   Guitarist Luca di Luzio's upcoming CD, Globetrotter  is an assortment of contemporary jazz tunes bridging funk, blues, soul, and Latin music.  Comprised of a few jazz standards and a handful of original works written by Luca di Luzio, a prolific guitar player who studied different styles of music, the recording expresses his personal vision of jazz guitar based on melody and groove.  Joining Di Luzio in his vision are bass guitarist Jimmy Haslip, drummer Dave Wecki, keyboardist George Whitty, and saxophonists Max Ionata and Alessandro Fariselli. From dance-funk numbers like "Jazzlife" and "Elisir" to the soft billows and reflective moods projected in "Smile" and " Buena Suerte," Di Luzio's artistry stems from his vision to make music that is aesthetically pleasing.  "Sunshower," a tune written by Kenny Barron, is a pr...
Read more