FRED GOATY'S FAVORITE ALBUM
It's just been released or reissued, it's already in stores or on streaming platforms, it's our favorite album of the day. Today:
GRETCHEN PARLATO
THE WISE ONES
💿 Edition Records
Twenty years after her recording debut and three years after her duo with Lionel Loueké, Gretchen Parlato returns with an album as sensual as it is captivating, distinguished by its refined production.
Within “The Wise Ones”—a title that reflects a certain kind of wisdom and implies that the singer transcends all styles, a hallmark of her work—there are two covers that will leave no one indifferent: “If It's Magic,” one of the gems from Stevie Wonder’s “Songs In The Key Of Life,” and Tears For Fears’ “Mad World,” a 1983 synth-pop standard whose lyrics have lost none of their pervasive angst (“And I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad / The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had”). These songs encapsulate Gretchen Parlato’s artistry, transforming them without distorting them, reinventing them without altering their essence.
Her unique timbre, her ever-graceful phrasing, and the rare delicacy with which she brings out the best in each word are virtually unparalleled today, which is undoubtedly why so many young vocalists cite her as a major influence, a true innovator.
But there are also original tracks that truly stand out, such as the duet with the undeniably essential Meshell Ndegeocello, "Never Come Down," or the Robert Glasper composition, "Block The Sun," or even "Capricorn," whose gentle blend of genres—soul and pop, of course, but only a jazz singer can shine so subtly—is the most beautiful introduction to a deeply engaging album.