...restrained instrumentation, intelligent arrangement and superbly controlled v
author: BBC Music
Second albums can be a disappointment. Too often an artist's best ideas evaporate after their first record, but that's not the case here. Londoner Juliet Kelly's second album proves that she's on an upward curve as a singer/songwriter. Like most long-loved albums Delicious Chemistry demands repeated listening before you're hooked, but then you'll want to play it to everyone you know.
In Delicious Chemistry the elements of restrained instrumentation, intelligent arrangement and superbly controlled vocals come together into a powerful compound. File under 'self-development soul/jazz' and give a copy to a friend in need.
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Exceptionally Beautiful!
author: Jazzwise Magazine
Where Aphrodite's Child, Juliet Kelly's powerful and eloquent debut recording, bravely limited itself to just a brace of covers, Delicious Chemistry goes even further. All 11 songs emanate from the singer's pen, and why not? As Kelly has stated previously in these pages, jazz offers an inordinate amount of creative freedom and almost limitless expressive possibilities, and it doesn't get more intensely expressive than writing and singing your own songs. From the loping groove of the album opener "Secret" to the concluding emotive tribute to Nina Simone, "Black Rose", Kelly's songwriting explores inner visions and outer appearances through some exceptionally beautiful musical journeys. The album's high-water marks include the stripped down guitar/vocal of "I Wish You Love", the haunting chorus of "Unicorn Dream", the skewed internal monologue of "Alone Again" and the Janis Ian-esque "Behind Her Smile". The subtle colours and varied palette provided by guest musicians such as Courtney Pine and Byron Wallen display a complete understanding of the singer's very particular artistic sensibility.
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