Ghost Song (album)
| Ghost Song | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 4, 2022 | |||
| Recorded | October 7, 2020 | |||
| Venues | The Bunker Studio, St. Malachy Roman Catholic Church | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 46:08 | |||
| Label | Nonesuch | |||
| Producers |
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| Cécile McLorin Salvant chronology | ||||
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Ghost Song is a studio album by French-American jazz vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant, on which she is accompanied by pianists Aaron Diehl and Sullivan Fortner.[1] The album was released on March 4, 2022, by Nonesuch Records and is her first release for the label.[2] It was chosen as Album of the Month for both performance and sonics by Stereophile in April 2022.[3]
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 87/100[4] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| The Arts Desk | [6] |
| DownBeat | [7] |
| Financial Times | [8] |
| Analog Planet | 10/11[9] |
| JazzTrail | [10] |
| Mojo |  [11] |
| Stereophile | [3] |
| Tom Hull | B+( )[12] |
| Uncut | [11] |
In the Wall Street Journal, Larry Blumenfeld wrote, "Her ideas have grown bolder with each album, and especially with 'Ogresse,' an unreleased cantata for which she wrote the story, lyrics and music... 'Ghost Song' is her boldest act yet. Here, Ms. Salvant displays yet more sonic range and nuance—soaring through intervals, moving nimbly through tricky rhythms, and reveling in pithy turns of phrase. Her voice is singularly arresting, yet it is never a single sound. It's playful, nearly giddy, on "Optimistic Voices" (from The Wizard of Oz), and then sultry when that song segues into Gregory Porter's 'No Love Dying.' It's a blues holler to start the title track, one of seven original compositions, and nearly soft as a whisper to begin Sting's 'Until.'"[13]
Track listing
All tracks written by Salvant unless otherwise indicated.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Wuthering Heights" (Kate Bush) | 2:43 |
| 2. | "Optimistic Voices/No Love Dying" (Harold Arlen/Yip Harburg/Herbert Stothart / Gregory Porter) | 7:24 |
| 3. | "Ghost Song" | 3:23 |
| 4. | "Obligation" | 1:33 |
| 5. | "Until" (Gordon Sumner) | 6:32 |
| 6. | "I Lost My Mind" | 3:41 |
| 7. | "Moon Song" | 3:05 |
| 8. | "Trail Mix" | 2:24 |
| 9. | "The World Is Mean" (Kurt Weill/Berthold Brecht/Marc Blitzstein) | 4:49 |
| 10. | "Dead Poplar" | 2:36 |
| 11. | "Thunderclouds" | 3:37 |
| 12. | "Unquiet Grave" (Traditional/arr. Salvant) | 4:21 |
| Total length: | 46:08 | |
Personnel
- Cécile McLorin Salvant – composing, producing, vocals
- Aaron Diehl – piano
- Alexa Tarantino – flute
- Burniss Travis – bass
- Daniel Swenberg – lute, theorbo
- James Chirillo – banjo
- Keita Ogawa – percussion
- Kyle Poole – drums
- Marvin Sewell – guitar
- Paul Sikivie – basss, synthesizer
- Sullivan Fortner – piano, producing
References
- ↑ Russonello, Giovanni (March 3, 2022). "Cécile McLorin Salvant's Album Tackles a Newer Archive: Her Own". The New York Times. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
- ↑ Johnson, Martin (March 4, 2022). "Salvant: Ghost Song (Nonesuch)". JazzTimes. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
- 1 2 Kaplan, Fred (March 24, 2022). "Recording of April 2022: Ghost Song". Stereophile. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
- ↑ "Ghost Song by Cécile McLorin Salvant". Metacritic. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
- ↑ Collar, Matt (January 2, 2023). "Cécile McLorin Salvant – Ghost Song Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
- ↑ Quinne, Peter. "Album: Cécile McLorin Salvant - Ghost Song". The Arts Desk. Retrieved July 20, 2026.
- ↑ Alkyer, Frank (March 2022). "DownBeat Reviews: Ghost Song". DownBeat. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
- ↑ Hobart, Mike (March 11, 2022). "Cécile McLorin Salvant: Ghost Song — gripping juxtapositions". Financial Times. Retrieved July 20, 2026.
- ↑ Fremer, Michael (March 5, 2022). "On Ghost Song Cécile McLorin Salvant Finds Reflective Pleasure in Pain". Analog Planet. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
- ↑ Freitas, Filipe (March 10, 2022). "Cécile McLorin Salvant: Ghost Song". JazzTrail. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
- 1 2 "Cécile McLorin Salvant - Ghost Song". Album of the Year. Retrieved July 20, 2026.
- ↑ "Tom Hull: Grade List: Cécile McLorin Salvant". Tom Hull. Retrieved June 29, 2026.
- ↑ Blumenfeld, Larry (March 2, 2022). "Ghost Song by Cécile McLorin Salvant and 'SAAM (Spanish American Art Museum)' by Marta Sánchez Reviews: Albums Haunted by the Past - WSJ". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 2, 2023.