Height of jazz vocal versatility Jelena Jovovic – HEARTBEAT: I review (literally) over 100 jazz vocal albums a year, and Jelena’s debut album is truly at the height of jazz vocal versatility, I’ll tell you right now… to get an intimate look at her in action, check out this promo trailer for the release first…
…Jelena has many more live-action videos posted, too, so be sure to SUBSCRIBE to her YouTube channel, as did I (immediately, by the way).
What makes me hold her up (far) above all the other vocalists I’ve listened to this year is the full-blown creativity you’ll hear on tunes like the stunning opener, “Witch Hunt“… her vocal magic is supported by a (rather extensive) group of players, too (Vasil Hadzimanov (Piano, Rhodes); Milan Nikolic (Double bass, el.bass); Vladimir Kostadinovic (Drums); Dusan Novakov (Drums); Rastko Obradovic (Tenor sax); Strahinja Banovic (Trumpet); Stjepko Gut (Trumpet); Milos Nikolic (Trumpet, trombone); Branko Trijic (Guitar); Milos Branisavljevic (Vibraphone); Tom Fedja Franklin, Bojan Ivkovic (Percussion); Srdjan Markovic, Ivana Vukmirovic, Ilija Mihailovic (Backing Vocals); and Oleg Kireyev (Tatar throat singing)… this song has haunting back-vocals, sliced & layered to perfection… I’ve no DOUBT that you’ll be hearing much, MUCH more over the coming months & years from Jelena!
Songs like “The Countless Stars” weave several cultural elements together into one of the most stunning jazz pieces you’ve ever heard… again, every little nuance demands your attention… I (most STRONGLY) recommend that you listen to this album (at least for the first sitting) with your headphones on. This is definitely one of the hippest jazz vocal performances I’ve listened to (yet) in 2019… I predict this tune will be getting some MAJOR airplay ’round the globe.
Of the ten songs offered up for your aural adventure, the one that I chose as my personal favorite is the title track, “Heartbeat“… it’s an original from Jelena, and has a groove that will be the envy of jazz vocalists everywhere… I just LOVE this tune; it gets a (permanent) slot on my iPhone player (only reserved for the best, of course)!
I give Jelena & her high-talent crew a MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED rating, with a (perfect) “EQ” (energy quotient) score of 5.00… that means she also gets my “PICK” for “most creative jazz vocal album”. Get more information on Jelena’s website. Rotcod Zzaj
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