Upon hearing Esperanza Spalding’s numerous accolades as a self-taught bassist, cellist, and composer, it is easy to be intimidated by her success. In her new album, released March 4, Emily’s D+Evolution, Spalding channels her alter-ego, as it were, named Emily, in yet another outstanding feat.
Emily is not only Spalding’s middle name, but also the manifestation of her repressed spectral personality. In this album Spalding relieves the muzzle and reveals herself with a rare and alluring candor.
Spalding’s newest album takes on a colorful amalgam of jazz fusion. Harkening back to the bizarre nature of Frank Zappa—also a prodigious composer—and Funkadelic’s eccentric (to say the least) George Clinton’s distinguished music. Citing Captain Beefheart as a primary influence, Spalding creates a peculiarly enticing ballad. In her track “Good Lava” Spalding’s celestially-trained voice contrasts with psychedelic guitars and crashing high hats to create an unusually appealing composition.
The album’s tracks seem to be on every spectrum of musical history, from psychedelic funk to traditional soul and jazz. Spalding’s newest inception is an innovative expression of her inner self, conceived as “Emily.”
In the track “Judas,” the cacophonous chord changes and melody function elegantly, as if the world has suddenly become backwards. The bars Spalding sings occur in disjointed clusters rather than a smooth ballad. This album acts like some sort of neo-soul rock opera, exploring the typical subjects of love and identity in an atypical way.
—Sarai Nissan
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