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It's been nearly a decade since Zara McFarlane's debut album was released into a world just getting its brain around the possibilities of Britain's new jazz scene. The singer's latest release, Songs of an Unknown Tongue, dips deeply into the sounds of the African diaspora in a way that is philosophically similar to 2017's Arise—melding tradition-rooted rhythms with a profoundly modern approach. However, where Arise connected explicitly with Afro-Caribbean sounds, Unknown Tongue taps into more directly African sounds for the rhythmic underpinnings. Still, those sounds and grooves are delivered in a spacious, electronic soundscape that gives plenty of room for McFarlane's voice to shine. That voice is a powerful force indeed, and while the singer tends toward a restrained and evocative delivery, the strength of her instrument is made abundantly clear. The sultry and soulful "Black Treasure" and the sparse, driving, and future-jazzy "Run of Your Life" are two tracks which could easily be mistaken for the works of completely different artists in their vibe and approach, but the easy versatility of McFarlane's singing ensures they make perfect sense here. This is, after all, a journey of an album, taking the listener through groove-forward optimism ("Everything Is Connected") and emotionally complex introspection ("Saltwater"), while culminating in the hypnotic, electro-Nyabinghi groove of "Roots of Freedom" and a more traditionalist album closer, "Future Echoes." © Jason Ferguson/Qobuz
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Stuart Hawkes, MasteringEngineer - Camilo Tirado, Percussion - Zara McFarlane, Composer, Vocals, MainArtist - Ed West, MixingEngineer - Wu-Lu, Composer, Arranger - Kwake Bass, Composer - Miles Romans-Hopcraft, Producer, Arranger, Bass Guitar, Synthesizer, Drum Machine Drums - Lyle Barton, Keyboards - Giles King-Ashong, Producer, Percussion, Synthesizer
© 2020 Brownswood Recordings ℗ 2020 Brownswood Recordings
Stuart Hawkes, MasteringEngineer - Zara McFarlane, Composer, Vocals, MainArtist - Ed West, MixingEngineer - Wu-Lu, Composer - Kwake Bass, Composer, Arranger - Miles Romans-Hopcraft, Producer, Percussion - Giles King-Ashong, Producer, Arranger, Drums, Percussion, Synth Bass, Synthesizer
© 2020 Brownswood Recordings ℗ 2020 Brownswood Recordings
Stuart Hawkes, MasteringEngineer - Camilo Tirado, Percussion - Zara McFarlane, Composer, Arranger, Vocals, MainArtist - Ed West, MixingEngineer - Biscuit, Flute - Wu-Lu, Composer - Kwake Bass, Composer - Miles Romans-Hopcraft, Producer, Bass Guitar - Giles King-Ashong, Producer
© 2020 Brownswood Recordings ℗ 2020 Brownswood Recordings
Stuart Hawkes, MasteringEngineer - Zara McFarlane, Composer, Vocals, MainArtist - Ed West, MixingEngineer - Wu-Lu, Composer, Arranger - Kwake Bass, Composer, Arranger - Miles Romans-Hopcraft, Producer, Arranger, Guitar, Percussion - Giles King-Ashong, Producer, Arranger, Percussion, Synthesizer, Drum Machine Drums
© 2020 Brownswood Recordings ℗ 2020 Brownswood Recordings
Stuart Hawkes, MasteringEngineer - Zara McFarlane, Composer, Vocals, MainArtist - Ed West, MixingEngineer - Wu-Lu, Composer - Kwake Bass, Composer, Arranger - Miles Romans-Hopcraft, Producer - Giles King-Ashong, Producer, Arranger, Synthesizer
© 2020 Brownswood Recordings ℗ 2020 Brownswood Recordings
Stuart Hawkes, MasteringEngineer - Zara McFarlane, Composer, Vocals, MainArtist - Ed West, MixingEngineer - Wu-Lu, Composer - Kwake Bass, Composer, Arranger - Miles Romans-Hopcraft, Producer - Giles King-Ashong, Producer, Arranger, Additional Vocals, Synthesizer, Drum Machine Drums
© 2020 Brownswood Recordings ℗ 2020 Brownswood Recordings
Stuart Hawkes, MasteringEngineer - Camilo Tirado, Percussion - Zara McFarlane, Composer, Vocals, MainArtist - Ed West, MixingEngineer - Wu-Lu, Composer - Kwake Bass, Composer, Arranger - Miles Romans-Hopcraft, Producer - Giles King-Ashong, Producer, Arranger, Percussion, Synthesizer, Drum Machine Drums
© 2020 Brownswood Recordings ℗ 2020 Brownswood Recordings
Stuart Hawkes, MasteringEngineer - Zara McFarlane, Composer, Vocals, MainArtist - Ed West, MixingEngineer - Wu-Lu, Composer, Arranger - Kwake Bass, Composer - Miles Romans-Hopcraft, Guitar, Bass - Lyle Barton, Keyboards - Giles King-Ashong, Drums
© 2020 Brownswood Recordings ℗ 2020 Brownswood Recordings
Stuart Hawkes, MasteringEngineer - Zara McFarlane, Composer, Vocals, MainArtist - Idris Rahman, Saxophone - Ed West, MixingEngineer - Biscuit, Flute - Wu-Lu, Composer, Arranger - Kwake Bass, Composer, Arranger - Miles Romans-Hopcraft, Producer, Arranger, Percussion - Robin Hopcroft, Trumpet - Giles King-Ashong, Producer, Arranger, Guitar, Percussion
© 2020 Brownswood Recordings ℗ 2020 Brownswood Recordings
Stuart Hawkes, MasteringEngineer - Zara McFarlane, Composer, Vocals, MainArtist - Idris Rahman, Saxophone - Ed West, MixingEngineer - Biscuit, Flute - Wu-Lu, Composer, Arranger - Kwake Bass, Composer - Miles Romans-Hopcraft, Producer, Arranger, Percussion - Robin Hopcroft, Trumpet - Giles King-Ashong, Producer, Drums, Percussion, Synth Bass, Synthesizer, Drum Machine Drums
© 2020 Brownswood Recordings ℗ 2020 Brownswood Recordings
Album review
It's been nearly a decade since Zara McFarlane's debut album was released into a world just getting its brain around the possibilities of Britain's new jazz scene. The singer's latest release, Songs of an Unknown Tongue, dips deeply into the sounds of the African diaspora in a way that is philosophically similar to 2017's Arise—melding tradition-rooted rhythms with a profoundly modern approach. However, where Arise connected explicitly with Afro-Caribbean sounds, Unknown Tongue taps into more directly African sounds for the rhythmic underpinnings. Still, those sounds and grooves are delivered in a spacious, electronic soundscape that gives plenty of room for McFarlane's voice to shine. That voice is a powerful force indeed, and while the singer tends toward a restrained and evocative delivery, the strength of her instrument is made abundantly clear. The sultry and soulful "Black Treasure" and the sparse, driving, and future-jazzy "Run of Your Life" are two tracks which could easily be mistaken for the works of completely different artists in their vibe and approach, but the easy versatility of McFarlane's singing ensures they make perfect sense here. This is, after all, a journey of an album, taking the listener through groove-forward optimism ("Everything Is Connected") and emotionally complex introspection ("Saltwater"), while culminating in the hypnotic, electro-Nyabinghi groove of "Roots of Freedom" and a more traditionalist album closer, "Future Echoes." © Jason Ferguson/Qobuz
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 10 track(s)
- Total length: 00:50:27
- Main artists: Zara McFarlane
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Brownswood Recordings
- Genre: Jazz
© 2020 Brownswood Recordings ℗ 2020 Brownswood Recordings
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