ISH
Gladitude, 2019
8/10
Spearheaded by the Portland artist Kathleen Hollingsworth, the veteran songwriter is aligned with Brent Follis on drums and Dave Captien on bass as Mad Love, and together with a few collaborators they bring their thoughtful rock’n’roll to life on ISH.
“Wave The Sun Goodbye” starts the listen with soothing vocals amid keys, guitars and soft percussion on the soulful, jazzy opener, and “Whisper Not Benny Golson” follows with a bouncy, upbeat tune of playful rhythm.
Elsewhere, “Hey There, Rider” offers tumbling percussion on the country influenced, shuffling fun, while “Passing Of The General” recruits a contemplative and emotive display of power and melody.
At the end, “Weightless” puts the focus on piano as Hollingsworth’s elegant, pretty vocals steal the show, and “Candy Man” finishes the listen with warm, busy jazz and plenty of grooves.
An extremely mature outing, ISH is a feel good record where plenty of sophisticated genres are touched on, as Hollingsworth’s flawless pipes are complemented by strong musicianship.
Travels well with: Yvette Norwood- Tiger- Love Is; Larry Wolf And Four Cats & A Canary- Mood Swings