NOEMI NUTI - Venus Eye
Ubuntu UBU0042
Noemi Nuti - vocals, harp; Garath Lockrane - flute; Chris Eldred - piano; Tom Herbert - bass; Emiliano Caroselli - drums
New York native Nuti released her first Brasilian-flavoured album on Ubuntu in 2015 to widespread acclaim. It’s taken a while for this follow-up to appear but she’s been busy in the meantime: last year her contributions to Andrew McCormack’s gnarly prog-fusion Graviton project highlighted her astonishing control and accuracy, and showed her versatility across a range of genres. With this follow-up we’re closer to the kind of sophisticated adult AOR territory where folk, jazz and pop meet and swap notes. Joni Mitchell is an obvious reference point and her influence is apparent in the wordy rush of images in ‘Sunny Perfect Sunday’, every bit as buoyantly uplifting as the title suggests. ‘Beautiful Life’ adds textures of harp and arco bass to a liltingly intimate number that recalls Suzanne Vega: ‘Hush The Sadness’ has a chamber-folk feel that frames Nuti’s exceptionally clear, controlled delivery and translucent tone. The band are superbly responsive, amply flamboyant enough when the occasion demands, but the playing is never allowed to overwhelm the material: fusions of jazz and pop can often seem like an uneasy pairing if the weight of the band’s chops capsize the capacity of the songwriting, and while the hot bebop swing of ‘Cornflake Girl’ stands out as a demonstration that everyone can really play, ballads like ‘Nevermind’ and ‘Always A Woman’ are delivered simply but wth equal conviction, so that the songs can stand alone, driven by the understated power of Nuti’s voice. ‘Crazy Dance’ allows her to revisit her favourite Bossa Nova territory for some stunning Joyce-style vocal gymnastics. Despite the bold range of genres employed the record really hangs together due to the attention to mood and tone, the quality of the songwriting and the sheer exuberance of the performances. A triumph.
Reviewed by Eddie Myer
Ubuntu UBU0042
Noemi Nuti - vocals, harp; Garath Lockrane - flute; Chris Eldred - piano; Tom Herbert - bass; Emiliano Caroselli - drums
New York native Nuti released her first Brasilian-flavoured album on Ubuntu in 2015 to widespread acclaim. It’s taken a while for this follow-up to appear but she’s been busy in the meantime: last year her contributions to Andrew McCormack’s gnarly prog-fusion Graviton project highlighted her astonishing control and accuracy, and showed her versatility across a range of genres. With this follow-up we’re closer to the kind of sophisticated adult AOR territory where folk, jazz and pop meet and swap notes. Joni Mitchell is an obvious reference point and her influence is apparent in the wordy rush of images in ‘Sunny Perfect Sunday’, every bit as buoyantly uplifting as the title suggests. ‘Beautiful Life’ adds textures of harp and arco bass to a liltingly intimate number that recalls Suzanne Vega: ‘Hush The Sadness’ has a chamber-folk feel that frames Nuti’s exceptionally clear, controlled delivery and translucent tone. The band are superbly responsive, amply flamboyant enough when the occasion demands, but the playing is never allowed to overwhelm the material: fusions of jazz and pop can often seem like an uneasy pairing if the weight of the band’s chops capsize the capacity of the songwriting, and while the hot bebop swing of ‘Cornflake Girl’ stands out as a demonstration that everyone can really play, ballads like ‘Nevermind’ and ‘Always A Woman’ are delivered simply but wth equal conviction, so that the songs can stand alone, driven by the understated power of Nuti’s voice. ‘Crazy Dance’ allows her to revisit her favourite Bossa Nova territory for some stunning Joyce-style vocal gymnastics. Despite the bold range of genres employed the record really hangs together due to the attention to mood and tone, the quality of the songwriting and the sheer exuberance of the performances. A triumph.
Reviewed by Eddie Myer
