Kind Words
Raquel Marina
Independent n/a (raquelmarina.bandcamp.com/album/kind-words)
Raquel Marina’s artistry holistically shines through on her debut collection of all-original music. The songs are immensely intricate, vivid paintings of language, harmony and tone that constantly reward every additional detail the ear may pick up on repeat listenings.
There is an incredible equilibrium struck between sonic cohesion and track-for-track diversity, with the entire spectrum of emotive and melodic expression feeling blanketed by the time the needle finally lifts. Thoughts of You being sequenced second in the tracklist might exemplify this effect the most, with its building tension around a one note pedal and mesmerizing horn figures echoing the peaks of Marina’s phrasings coalescing to give a strikingly heavy mournful feeling, the kind of watershed moment that might more typically cap off an album side.
Even at a lean seven songs however, this album has no shortage of these instances that feel drenched in meaning. The soloing throughout is top notch, and each improviser comes across almost verse-like in their approach to being in dialogue with Marina’s songwriting. Julien Bradley-Combs’ guitar solo on May You Know is for all intents and purposes, a tonal continuation of the inquisitive, conversational themes established in the lyrics. My Bohemian Hour deserves a special mention for being a show-stopping ballad, a soberingly minimalistic performance and an incredibly lucid piece of poetry.
Listen to 'Kind Words' Now in the Listening Room
