Just One Voice (GroundUP Music)
Michelle Willis
Released April 8, 2022
JAZZ FM 25 Best Jazz Albums of 2022
YouTube:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_l1wa8zMjRE6Xdzpl7-8Z9arKAEoFYlij4
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About:
“Just one voice is all I need,
Something full, some open sound”
Just One Voice invites us into a world of doubt, anxiety, hope, balance and letting go—a process Michelle Willis skillfully guides us through with arresting arrangements that seem complex, but are deceptively simple—just like her subject matter. Navigating the sounds and emotions Willis bravely lays bare, expertly produced with Fab Dupont (Andre 3000, Gregory Porter) at Flux Studios, the songs change and unfurl to reveal their meaning: giving voice to smallness, navigating indecision and change, and making room for a new chapter, which in a sense, is finding relief and resolve. The outcome for Willis and for us is nothing less than transcendent.
Willis’s talent is undeniable given her formidable résumé amassed through a variety of collaborations as a session keyboardist and vocalist, as well as the critical reception of her debut See Us Through on the GroundUP Music label. Even more impressive is her persistence as a songwriter.
A Toronto native, she moved to New York in 2016 with few prospects, save for a monthly residency at Rockwood Music Hall. Within months she was touring in two bands led by David Crosby, another by pop/jazz composer Becca Stevens, and opening for jazz/funk collective Snarky Puppy across the globe. Just One Voice was written during the intensity of non-stop travel, penned from the cramped seats of buses, planes and countless green rooms. One night, out on the open road, Willis played the title track for Crosby, her mentor and bandmate, who urged: “No one else sounds like this. This is you. You have to make this record.” So with the fuel of warm support, Willis was able to secure a prestigious grant from the Canada Arts Council to set it into motion.
Having marinated during lockdown with Willis laying down final vocals, Just One Voice sprung back to life with the reopening of her beloved New York and her deep desire to connect:
“I’m reaching out to every hope I’ve seen,
Every shade of silver lining”
Track Listing:
1. 10ths 03:47
2. Liberty 04:42
3. Just One Voice 04:37
4. Green Grey 03:00
5. Trigger (feat. Taylor Ashton) 04:02
6. Janet 03:24
7. How Come (feat. Michael McDonald) 04:28
8. Think Well 03:33
9. ‘Til The Weight Lifts (feat. Grégoire Maret) 04:13
10. On & On 04:23
11. Black Night (feat. Becca Stevens) 05:09
Personnel:
Michelle Willis: Vocal, Wurlitzer, Piano, Pump Organ, Prophet V, Arp Ensemble IV, Arp Omni, Akai AX60, Moog Model D, Mellotron, Korg MS20, and Acoustic Guitar (11)Christian Almiron: Nord Stage 3 & FX (1-8, 10-11)
Todd Caldwell: organ (2-7,11)
Louis Cato: drums & percussion (2-7, 10-11)
David Cutler: bass (2-7, 10-11)
Thom Gill: guitar (2-7, 10-11)
Grégoire Maret: chromatic harmonica (9)
Hugh Marsh: violin & FX (5)
Justin Stanton: Prophet V (7)
Dave Zerio: claps (3)
Michael McDonald: vocals (2,7)
Taylor Ashton: vocals (3-7)
Louis Cato: vocals (2,3)
David Crosby: vocals (2,7)
Emma Frank: vocals (3,4,7)
J. Hoard: vocals (3,4,7)
Mike “Maz” Maher: vocals (2-7, 10-11)
Rachael Price: vocals (5,6)
Becca Stevens: vocals (5,11)
Jeff Taylor: vocals (3,4,7)
Jessica Toplak: vocals (3,4,7)
Recorded at Flux Studios, by Fab Dupont
Additional Recording at Fiddlehead Studios, Joel Jacks Studios, Mason Jar Music, Studio Senti
Mixed by Fab Dupont
Mastered by Philip Shaw Bova
Assistant Engineers: Tom Beuchel, Ravi Bhavsar, Adam Iredale (5), Pablo Morales, Mike “Maz” Maher, Hugh Marsh (5), Jon Seale (9), Michelle Willis
Cover Photo: David Goddard
Artwork: Victoria Villasana
Design: Samuel Cooke
Produced by Fab Dupont & Michelle Willis
Review:
Do not overlook this force. Toronto’s Michelle Willis has already established herself not just locally but internationally with her poignant collaborations with Snarky Puppy, David Crosby, Iggy Pop and more. Her sophomore release Just One Voice reflects her influences and humble honesty. Within these stories and her musicianship, Willis leaves a lasting impression that there is hope within all of the anxieties and doubts of our world.
Dani Elwell (JAZZ.FM91)
