I’m a tad behind the curve when it comes to this long time Esperanza Spalding and Robert Glasper collaborator and her stellar solo releases, as I’ve just recently acquired and love her latest project “The Lost and Found“.
Go figure. Chalk it up to there being so much music out there and I only have the two ears. So it’s only right that I’d have to dig a little deeper into her past work too. Which lead me to her 2009 offering, “In A Dream“.
With a bevy of beauteous tracks within it’s laser etched confines, ranging from a superb and imaginative reworking of the SWV staple “Weak“, the soothingly syncopated Bossa Nova/Samba rhythms incorporated into “Within Me” and the masterful simplicity of “Butterfly” which boasts a scat set that I imagine Herbie Hancock never thought of but would greatly approve of for his original funky creation, the true standout for me on the 10 track set would be the one that first graces your aural channels upon pressing play.
Her reconstruction of the Stevie Wonder and Susaye Green written
“I Can’t Help It“
Parlato, with assistance from Lionel Loueke on vocal percussion, transform the Michael Jackson essential into a Neo-Bossa Nova delight. Gretchen’s enunciations, off-kilter nuances and impressive timing stroll, sprint and even scamper around the edges but esoterically manage to stay rooted within MJJ’s blueprint.
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