Cassandra (Cherith)

It would be an understatement to say that the nine years between Cheers to the Fall and CASSANDRA (cherith) were eventful for Andra Day. Most famously, she starred in The United States vs. Billie Holiday, consequently won a Golden Globe and a Grammy, and was nominated for an Academy Award. The additional soundtrack material, featured appearances, and stray singles she recorded during the interim could constitute a whole other album. Meanwhile, Day also stockpiled songs for her second LP as the first one, thanks to "Rise Up" -- performed at the 2016 Democratic National Convention and embraced by the Black Lives Matter movement -- remained in the air. While the singers second album is full of heartache like her first, its rather different -- less stylized, more modern, and seemingly more personal. Day again co-wrote and co-produced everything but teamed with an almost entirely new cast of collaborators. It often sounds like the effort of a band, one that can play traditional soul and pop with seamless integration of contemporary flavors. The albums sharper bite sinks in with Days taunting cadences on "Maybe Next Time," a slow-dipping dismissal: "Mad because in songs about my past, I mention my ex/Dont worry, n*gga, you next, and this one might be my best." In "Narcos (H.C.D.)," which starts by referencing the theme of the like-titled television series before setting into faintly psychedelic dub pop, Day brands her man as "fraudulent" but doesnt acquit herself, categorizing her inability to let go as "Capricorn shit, I guess." Just as noteworthy is the elegance with which Day can deliver lines as conversational as "See, I have the homies and my kin who look out for me/They could see you pulling me out of my character" (from the Elton John-evoking "Probably"). At other points, Day either flashes back to or basks in mad love, and sounds equally impassioned whether its a wispy acoustic ballad like "Chasing" or the cinematic soul noir of "Midnight." Apart from the two closing pieces that communicate release and spiritual gratitude, each song has a kind of tension to it that suggests real life experience. Captivating enough while she is in the grip of a love she cant escape, Day is positively spellbinding in the rare moments when shes in control, as on "Nervous," a 21st century soul-jazz ballad that says, in a confrontational way, "You cant handle me," only to end with a confession to set the subject at ease. ~ Andy Kellman

自身の本名にちなんだ9年ぶりのオリジナル・アルバム。その間も主演したビリー・ホリデイ伝記映画/サントラを含めて走り続けてきたが、それらを滋養としながら先行曲"Probably"に代表されるレトロ・モダンな美点をキープした滋味深い作品を完成させた。プロデュースは馴染みのバンド・メンバーやケヴィン・ランドルフらと行い、ワーレイ客演のヒップホップ調から実母が読む聖書の一節で終わる曲まで、ソウルとジャズとブルースの狭間を行き交う情熱的なヴォーカルで懐の深さを示す。エリカ・バドゥやディアンジェロを想起させ、キース・スウェット名曲のフレーズを交えるなどの小ネタも散りばめた充実作だ。
bounce (C)林剛