Let Go
Self-Released, 2022
8/10
The duo of Elasea Douglas and Sadiki Pierre, i.e. Acute Inflections, returns with a 5th album of their soulful, jazz influenced formula that contains a warm mix of originals and covers.
“Blue Skies” starts the listen with playful and upbeat bass plucking alongside the flowing and very friendly singing in the swift, Irving Berlin tune, and “We Are The Champions” follows with Douglas’ stunning pipes guiding the bare, powerful interpretation of a song we’ve all heard, but never quite like this.
At the halfway point, Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” emits so much expressive singing amid Pierre’s precise bass playing, while “Only Together”, an original, is equally adventurous and cautious, where the pair’s inimitable talents complement each other superbly.
Approaching the end, the bowed strings of “What A Wonderful World”, the Louis Armstrong classic, gets a fresh coat of paint with Douglas’ diverse pipes and soaring pitch, and an alternate version of the original “Let Go” exits the record and has Pierre using his bass for percussive sounds, too, in one of the loudest selections present.
An album that was inspired by requests from their fans during online pandemic concerts, these carefully delivered 10 tracks will certainly satiate those who have been following along already, and will absolutely make them plenty of new fans, also.
Travels well with: Rodney Whitaker- Oasis; Griffin Woodard Group- Completion