Her flexibility, her reach, her presentation: Cécile McLorin Salvant is becoming more and more imposing ★★★★☆

In recent years, the American Cécile McLorin Salvant (32) has become perhaps the most acclaimed jazz vocalist of her generation. The flexibility of her vocal cords, the enormous range and above all the naturalness of her presentation: it all gets more impressive every year. On her new album Ghost Song she goes one step further by integrating classic songs from the American Songbook, pop songs and her own work. Very beautiful is the way in which she sings a song from the the Wizard of Oz connects to No Love Dying by Gregory Porter. Also Stings until gets a new, even better life through her treatment. But the seven own songs may also be there. McLorin Salvant has come to believe more in her own qualities as a songwriter and lean less on the songs of others.

The arrangements also show more daring. Of course everything revolves around her special voice, but the tension that the swelling organ in I Lost My Mind gives is a facet that we are not yet familiar with in McLorin Salvant’s work. After which she swoons away behind the brushes moon song, one of her better new songs.