CD Review: Solamente

JAZZIZ, Mark Holston: December 20, 2009

www.jazziz.com

Carmen Lundy, SOLAMENTE (Afrasia)

By Mark Holston

Listeners needn’t scan the credits to find out who’s playing what on Carmen Lundy’s latest recording. The multitalented Miami native fills the roles of vocalist, lyricist, composer, arranger, keyboardist, guitarist, harpist, bassist, percussionist and drummer on Solamente, her 11th release. One of her oil paintings even decorates the cover of the disc.

However, Lundy is no novelty act. True, much of the instrumental accompaniment on Solamente – particularly the under-recorded drums and upright bass – sounds perfunctory and seldom competes with album’s primary instrument, the singer’s glorious voice. But Lundy shows considerable range on piano and electronic keys, laying down gently funky vamps and tasty licks that wouldn’t sound out of place on a 1970s date by Les McCann, Norman Connors or Lonnie Liston Smith.

Lundy’s low-key demeanor contributes to the album’s charm. As an instrumentalist and vocalist, she never draws undue attention to herself. The tunes were meant to be the star of the show, and they are. In fact, Solamente (the Spanish word for “only’) was actually produced as a demo to showcase her new compositions. But ultimately, rave reviews from the fortunate few who initially heard it prompted a decision to release the recording as is.

Lundy’s vocal manner on this outing, while representative of her trademark deep and burnished tonal range, warm and relaxed delivery and mastery of stylistic nuances, is often conversational. That helps draw attention to the arresting lyrics of edgy and often politically oriented works such as “Move On”, a nearly eight-minute opus that echoes Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” with its plea for racial understanding.