
On their 9th studio album, Sound Liberation put all manner of genres into a blender, creating unique compositions and a project that strives to be experimental until its very end.
At its core âBetter Nowâ is the very definition of what jazz should be. Exciting, unpredictable, and an honest representation of what the artist is feeling. Sound Liberation goes above and beyond this definition, by incorporating varied performances and sometimes genres you wouldnât even think could mix.
How the album opens is already interesting enough, âQuarantine Bluesâ has an ethereal feel and is almost like wandering through a desert alone. The changes and additions of various instruments throughout the track give it a chaotic feel that captures the confusion and frustration of 2020âs quarantine quite well.
Then we have âTime Does Not Bring Reliefâ, an incredibly emotive and creative track that utilizes two different styles of singing, one performance is more of a grandiose, opera style, whilst the other is more of a mellow RnB voice. Surprisingly, they work well together and fit the emotionally intense instrumentation of the song.
We see this style of singing again on âThe difference Unhappiness â From Sadness Expensive Prayerâ, however this time it takes the forefront of the song and isnât just a layer, allowing for the singerâs voice to truly shine through and fully envision the instrumentation and ambiance of the track. The singerâs performance on this song is in my opinion one of the best singing performances on the album as a whole, itâs emotive, luxurious, and powerful.
However, the performance I enjoy the most is the feel-good RnB crooning on the two-part tracks âOutsideâ and âBetter Nowâ. The hook on âOutsideâ is a well-written earworm that embodies an old-school RnB feel which I assume the singer wouldâve been inspired by. The song has a warm comforting feeling almost like a sunny Sunday.
Not to mention the transition between the two tracks is done really well and makes them both better songs for it, itâs almost like you canât listen to one without listening to the other.
We also see more of the bandâs jazz and instrumental-based roots in the song âUnreachable Lightâ, a wordless track in which the instrumental musicians are given the spotlight. The track starts slow and in pieces, with the horn player, in my opinion, kind of stealing the show a little bit. At around the three-minute mark, the song undergoes a complete switch up into a more acoustic-based rhythm with a smooth, whiskey-like plucky guitar which perfectly captured that slick bar room, blues-style feeling.
The most impressive show of instrumentation, however, is the last track, âVivaldiâs Hot Houseâ, a strange yet ingenious blend of Antonio Vivaldiâs âStormâ and traditional high energy Bebop Jazz. Itâs quite a clever mix-up, as the intensity of âStormâ doesnât sound out of place with the chaotic sound of Bebop, if anything they sound more similar than dissimilar. An exciting, experimental risk that ultimately pays off.
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SCORE/Good + : Better Now has a lot of creative high points. The band has an excellent sense of creativity and itâs amazing how well they have managed to blend completely different genres together. On the other hand, there were moments on this album where I thought some of the songs went on for too long and instances where some of the lyrics and performances were slightly generic. However, this is still a great and fun project that is surely worth anyoneâs time.
[I rank albums on a scale of: Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent, Outstanding]
Written by Jake Campbell