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IN STOCK
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ARTIST
TITLE
How Good It Is
FORMAT
LP
LABEL
CATALOG #
DD 007LP
DD 007LP
GENRE
RELEASE DATE
4/28/2023
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Limited restock. The Voices of Creation are a community-based choir led by vocalist, songwriter, arranger, producer and mainstay of the Los Angeles scene Jimetta Rose. Made up of a multigenerational group of mainly non-professional singers backed by some of the city's finest musicians, their music marries hip strains of gospel with layers of jazz, soul and funk. While aspects of their music might recall Kamasi Washington, The Staple Singers or Sly Stone, Jimetta's unique vision has resulted in new spiritually-charged forms of music whose whole-hearted embrace of love, joy and peace act as sonic healing balms for the soul. For Jimetta -- whose resume includes collaborations with Miguel Atwood Ferguson, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Sa-Ra Creative Partners, Angel Bat Dawid -- the very act of creation was part of a healing process. Among those accepted into the ever-evolving collective, which was begun initially as a community choir, were the likes of Sly Stone's daughter Novena Carmel, better known as a radio DJ for KCRW's flagship breakfast show. Jimetta's upbringing in the Pentecostal church, where she was a youth choir director, fed into her otherwise intuitive teachings of her songs and arrangements to the inexperienced members with help from the group's seasoned organ player/co-musical director Jack Maeby. Produced by Mario Caldato Jr. (Beastie Boys, Seu Jorge) and his wife Samantha Caldato the results show the incredible sense of togetherness and communal spirit that the group had built up over time in the rehearsal sessions. The six tracks of their debut album, a mixture of originals and rearranged covers, are performed in a wide-eyed mix of styles that reflect Jimetta's vision for borderless music. The group's propensity for warm and buoyant sonics finds representation on album opener "Let The Sunshine In," a sparkling rework of the Sons and Daughters of Lite's deep jazz classic. Their version finds the group's dynamic group harmonies offset with Allakoi Peete's nimble Afro-percussive touches and plenty of soul-drenched keys courtesy of pianist Quran Shaheed and organ player Jack Maeby. A similarly uplifting take on Rahsaan Roland Kirk's choral jazz classic "Spirits Up Above follows," with Maeby's groove-laden organ lines inspiring some gorgeous group harmonies as well as prime solo turns from the likes of Kellye Hawkins, Zavier Wise, Tamara Blue, and Khalila Gardner. Another Sons and Daughters of Lite cover follows as Jimetta leads the choir in the groove-drenched ode to self-affirmation "Operation Feed Yourself." Written as a series of mantras for everyday living, the Jimetta-penned composition "How Good It Is" harnesses the full transformative power of music to generate a stirring and joyful ode to positivity. Jimetta's talent for re-imagining songs in her own light is highlighted in "Answer The Call," her vivid re-telling of Funkadelic's Cosmic Slop. The album finishes with the standout original gospel number "Ain't Life Grand".
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