Sidney Jacobs creates an intriguing mixing of vocal and musical tones on this tapestry of sounds and songs. Mixing and matching Gene Coye/dr, Solomon Dorsey/b, Josh Nelson-Ron Feuer/p-key, Josh Johnson/as-fl, Nolan Shaheed-Chris Lawrence/tp, Greg ore/ag, Joakim Toftgaard/tb and Rickey Woodard/ts, Jacobs brings his own keyboards and percussion to the table of 4-6 minute songs interspersed with concise vignettes of sonic wallpaper. Most of the material is his own, but even standards like “On A Clear Day” he brings a warm and feathery fluidity that is fresh and both challenging and comforting.
His vocal delivery is reminiscent of early AL Jarreau, hip around the bass line of “I’m Coming Back” and twisting around like Cirque du Soleil on material such as “I Feel Pretty” and his own upbeat “Light”. The presence of Josh Nelson is felt on almost every piece, using piano and keyboards to guide the listener through various chambers and rooms, like the dark and wondrous “Until You Come Back TO Me” or stark and pleading through the title piece. Jacobs has fun with multitracking his voice on the shorter tunes, even sounding like a one man Take 6 on “Conversations with Mom”, but overall, the album is a fantastic exercise in joyful experimentation. Creative pleasures.