What peaceful and beautiful music this is. Chantal Acda is a singer-songwriter from the Netherlands who resides in Belgium. All of the tracks are original compositions except for “I Can’t Make You Love Me,” a cover of Bonnie Raitt’s song.
This marks her fourth collaboration with Bill Frisell, and though their work together is deeply moving, her voice—imbued with both a sense of calm and a grounding peace—matches seamlessly with Frisell’s guitar like never before.
The bass of Thomas Morgan, a frequent collaborator of Frisell, also brings out the depth in Chantal’s voice. Particularly in pieces like Above and Taking Part, his playing is remarkable. The restrained yet rich use of two saxophones and the subtle yet effective drumming provide superb support for the vocals.
The lineup includes Chantal Acda (vocals, acoustic guitar), Bill Frisell (electric guitar), Thomas Morgan (bass), Eric Thielemans (drums), Colin Stetson (saxophone), Shahzad Ismaily (acoustic guitar, percussion, Moog), Kurt Van Herck (saxophone), Joachim Badenhorst (clarinet), Niels Van Heertum (euphonium), and Jozef Dumoulin (piano).
Chantal Acda is already well known as a singer-songwriter, and this album is a must for Frisell fans.
(Written by Yasuharu Murata)
