You can argue until you’re blue in the face as to why the best jazz harpists have been women such as Alice Coltrane and Dorothy Ashby, but you’re going to want to add Brandee Younger to your list, as this album is a rich sauce of sounds.
Younger’s touch on the harp ranges between celestial strums and evocative pizzicato’d musings. With Ravi Coltrane/ts, Dezren Douglas/b and Chris Beck/dr, she creates a meditative recitative on “Soulris” and a meditative “Love’s Prayer.” Douglas creates a bluesy bass line for EJ Strickland as Younger glistens on Dorothy Ashby’s post bop “Games” and with honey toned vocalist Nila, Marvin Gaye’s “Save The Children” is a soulful masterwork. Tenor saxist Antoine Roney teams with saxists Stacy Dillard and Chelsea Baratz as well as flutiest Nicole Camacho for a loose and intuitive “Soul Awakening” while Alice Coltrane’s “Blue Nile” has a deep Equinox feel. Not only is the soul awakened here, but so are the ears. WHEW!