Cécile McLorin Salvant - Mélusine [2023]

Published on PostGenre

Cécile McLorin Salvant's Mélusine is the first Salvant album sung primarily in French. It is also the Salvant album with the strongest presence of African, Caribbean, and Latin American rhythms. "Dites moi que je suis belle" is a great example - Weedie Bramiah's skittish, energetic djembe playing makes a fine partner to Salvant's lovely lighthearted melodies. The last section of "Doudou" is a party driven by the rhythm section and pianist Sullivan Fortner, who plays with a vibrancy that would be at home on classic salsa records. There are stunning piano moments all over the album; Aaron Diehl's twinkling dissonance and exploratory progression throughout "Est-ce ainsi que les hommes vivent?" is a joy to listen to. Surprisingly, the album even has a bit of the baroque era on "D'un feu secret." Fortner's synthesizer warps melancholic baroque structures as Salvant, in a quasi-operatic mode with a gorgeous vibrato, shows a completely different side of her talent. Throughout Mélusine, Salvant sings with irresistible expressionism and expands her sonic palette. She's telling a story, and even if you do not speak French, you can always feel the drama. Mélusine is a wonderful album that ranks among Salvant's best work.

Cécile McLorin Salvant - Dreams and Daggers [2017]

Published on NextBop

With the release of her last album For One To Love, Salvant put the focus on her pen, with almost half of the tracks being original compositions. Light, emotionally resonant Salvant-written pleas like "Look at Me" and "Left Over" were juxtaposed by the energetic and occasionally humorous performances of tracks like "Stepsister's Lament" and "Wives and Lovers". Salvant would eventually win a Grammy for what was then her best album to date, although when asked by Spanish publication El Periódico if this changed her career, the singer responded that it only resulted in more followers on the internet.

Now, at 28, even though it would be an absurd stretch to consider her famous in the pop sense, Salvant is clearly one of the most in-demand young singers in jazz. The rise has had nothing to do with her Grammy and everything to do with her talent. Regularly dazzling crowds with the range and power of her voice and a charming sense of humor in her performance, Salvant has played at many well known festivals and venues in the jazz world - the bulk of her latest album was recorded live in the legendary Village Vanguard in New York City. Accompanied, for the most part (pianist Sullivan Fortner sits in on "You've Got to Give Me Some"), by her usual - extremely talented - trio of Aaron Diehl (piano), Paul Sikivie (bass) and Lawrence Leathers (drums), Salvant's Dreams and Daggers is a two-disc long demonstration of what makes her one of the most valuable vocalists in jazz today.

Cécile McLorin Salvant - For One To Love [2015]

Cécile McLorin Salvant, who is accompanied by the extremely talented trio of Aaron Diehl (piano), Paul Skivie (bass) and Lawrence Leathers (drums) is one of the most exciting vocalists in jazz today. Her past two albums were quality, a particular highlight being an original tune named "WomanChild". "WomanChild" is a wonderfully written tune that may have had more than a decent chance of being a jazz standard if it was released back when jazz was a big part of mainstream music culture. Salvant is one of the key young jazz performers right now, equipped with an extremely expressive voice that has a great range. This range is one of the key aspects of her singing style, which occasionally features her using starkly distinct tones to convey various (and at times, conflicting) emotions in the same track. Salvant's voice is equally as captivating when it is singing playfully ("Stepsister's Lament") as when it is bellowing powerfully ("Growlin' Dan") and For One to Love may be her best release yet.