I have my man John to thank for turning me onto Esperanza Spalding a few years ago with her debut album Esperanza. Well just a few months ago she released her follow-up album, titled Chamber Music Society, and quite a few people have taken notice of her lately since her debut, including the Grammy nomination committee, who has nominated her latest album for Best New Artist (obviously they didn't have a friend who brought her to their attention back in 2008). Unfortunately, she's up against Justin Bieber, so I'm already dreading a stomach-emptying upset.
While her debut album featured quite a bit of Spalding's beautiful voice AND her incredibly talented bass playing (all but two of the songs had vocals), this new album is quite the opposite, with the majority of tracks being instrumentals (with a fair amount of scat singing though). Chamber music is a rather old music genre, traditionally classical music played by a small group in an intimate setting, many times in a small room. Spalding's take on Chamber Music Society is an updated one that incorporates modern elements into this traditional style. If you're looking for her voice, you'll find it on a few tracks, but you'd be better off trying her first album. If you enjoy her playing, either album will give you aural pleasure.
one from the last one:
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