Beschreibung
We all have “musical soulmates”, i.e. artists who resonate with us deeply. Listening to their music feels like home because it makes us sink into our very bones. With Speak Low, Lucia Cadotsch decided to send a message back to her soulmates from a distant musical past. It was a thank you letter of sorts written to the likes of Billie and Nina. For this, she chose the most iconic and honest songs ever penned and recorded – the types that give you goosebumps every time you hear them – and shaped them until they not only became pliable, but eventually, fully hers. She also made sure that each grew into a vivid, sincere rendering of this very “here and now” – something both contemporary and personal.
With Speak Low an utterly novel and wholly modern lexicon of interpretation was laid out; a style of her very own.
On the follow up, Speak Low renditions, Lucia decided to move this conversation to the contemporary arena. The idea was to involve artists at the current vanguard; musicians whom she also considers her family and musical soulmates. She chose individuals who are dear to her, who have a strong artistic vision, who are progressive, unique and honest with their work – and make singular, uncompromising music. The intent, this time around, was to take the stems from Speak Low and offer them up for the wildest interpretations, hence unlocking more potential, musical futures. From the 10 artists who were contacted, not only all of them agreed to participate, but every one of them submitted a gorgeous version. The beauty of Speak Low renditions lies not only in showcasing some of the most interesting music happening at the frontiers of modern Jazz (and its offshoots), but that it’s actually a wonderfully cohesive and dramatically balanced musical journey. When asked about how she managed to avoid the pitfalls of compilation territory, Lucia said that she approached the project like a curator. She made sure that the artists that she recruited, would not only offer great music, but that together, they would also fuse into a graceful mosaic.
Although Lucia’s vocals rarely remain intact (they’re cut, de/re/contextualised, looped, fragmented, dubbed etc.), they still remain the central emotional blueprint of this record, infusing every song with a definitive and often haunting feeling. The fact that they are able to do this and that they can’t be dominated by the arrangements, regardless of how extreme they are, only proves that we’re dealing with a strong, mature voice – and everything that it embodies. Speak Low renditions is a truly perception shifting work. Listening to it radically re-calibrates your assumptions of the very ideasa of song, an arrangement or a composition – and definitely the idea of the standards that it draws upon. It’s the perfect follow up to the gorgeous Speak Low. It’s almost inevitable that after truly listening to it, you will never be the same!
