The Ones Ahead

Enigmatic singer/songwriter Beverly Glenn-Copeland experienced a remarkable career resurgence after his obscure, often privately pressed recordings were rediscovered during the 2010s. Since then, his entire back catalog has been reissued, he began touring internationally for the first time, and Keyboard Fantasies: The Beverly Glenn-Copeland Story, a documentary about his late-blooming rise to fame and influence on a younger generation of musicians, was filmed and released. Well into his seventies, Glenn-Copeland released The Ones Ahead, his first studio album in nearly two decades, in 2023. Recorded with his backing band Indigo Rising, The Ones Ahead contains inspirational and devotional songs close in spirit to 2004s Primal Prayer, but with live instrumentation rather than trip-hop drum loops and programmed dance beats. Celebratory, drum-heavy opener "Africa Calling" is filled with intricate polyrhythms and mostly wordless call-and-response vocal chants. The rest of the album isnt as festive or joyous, but it maintains a steadfastly positive outlook. "Harbour (Song for Elizabeth)" is a delicate, passionate ode to his life partner, and the similarly slow and sparse "Love Takes All" retains the same dramatic mood. "People of the Loon" acknowledges humanitys connection to nature and the elements, and "Stand Anthem" expands on themes of ecological awareness, urging the audience to take action -- end homelessness, clean up pollution, respect animals and the environment. A choir swells up behind Glenn-Copeland during the title track, which encourages the listener to contribute to the progression of the planet in their own unique way. ~ Paul Simpson

カナダを拠点とするシンガー・ソングライターの、新曲集としては約20年ぶりとなるアルバム。アフリカ音楽、ゴスペル、ソウルなどの要素で彩られた本作は、多くの問題を抱えた現代で生き抜くための力強い言葉と慈悲が際立つ。感情の機微を丁寧に描く姿は滋味でいっぱいだ。ポリリズムが印象的な"Africa Calling"を筆頭に、踊れるグルーヴがあるのも魅力。
bounce (C)近藤真弥