Eliane Elias has managed to maintain an unwavering
dedication in her career as a jazz pianist and composer. In an industry where
women tend to be packaged and marketed as female first, and then talented
second, and where anyone south of Texas gets branded as a ‘Latin musician’
regardless of what actual music they play, Elias has somehow been able to find
and broaden her audience simply by following the music.
‘Around The City’ then continues this journey, with a
well-blended mix of original compositions (with some help from songwriters
Lauren Christy and Lester Mendez) and some covers, including surprisingly Becks
‘Tropicalia’ and brilliantly Bob Marleys ‘Jammin’.
Lead-off track ‘Running’ is a great start to
proceedings, with a strong swaying groove that works its way into your
subconscious. The afore-mentioned ‘Jammin’ meanwhile is madeover into a
high-energy number, which could potentially have tipped into bad karaoke, but
in these skilled hands it becomes an awesome, and respectful, tribute.
The classic ‘Oye Como Va’ comes with a sexy vibe
courtesy of Elias’ sultry vocals, and the soft and sensual ‘Segredos’ is an
album highlight with its defined pulsating rhythm. But it is probably
‘Slideshow’ that is the pure gem of this album. Beautifully sung lyrics meld
with the catchy flamenco guitars and handclaps that conjure up the perfect
image of the cliffside roads winding their way to some mysterious sun drenched beach.
Everywhere on this album is the smouldering rhythm of
Brazil, while still maintaining a strong night-time jazz feel with her superb
piano work and warm vocals. The stellar ‘Segredos’ makes a welcome return as a
closing reprise, revamped into a more jazz-tinged piece and again, Eliane Elias
has delivered her own music on her own terms and the results are as always well
worth the listen.
****
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