Songs from other places

"These 10 songs were recorded during lockdown and first released, one at a time, as digital singles. Each, in its own way, reveals the universal longing at that time for movement, travel and the outside world ... It's hard to believe that even the two performing artists, Stacey Kent and pianist Art Hirahara, were confined hundreds of miles apart. The rapport between them is perfect, and all the more remarkable because their individual parts were recorded at different times ... The opening song, I Wish I Could Go Travelling Again, sets the theme for this cleverly chosen and absorbing album ... Two Jobim pieces, one sung in English and the other in Portuguese plus a French song, Les Voyages, remind us that Stacey Kent is a truly international artist".

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"Stacey Kent's clear-as-light vocals and Art Hirahara's lyrical piano make their duo outing exactly "what the world needs now" ... As always, Kent is something of a chameleon; whether swinging, singing ballads, or rendering folk songs in French, she makes each song unique in her trademark, subtly enthusiastic way. Hirahara, who plays every Wednesday at my favorite bar in Greenwich Village, is a veteran talent who should be trumpeted ... Songs from Other Places is an exceptional vehicle for each artist, as Kent's keen interpretations dance with Hirahara's dynamic, empathetic piano, which equally leads and supports. Some music seems fated to match a moment in time. Songs from Other Places provides that level of sublime solace for ours".

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"Stacey Kent's clear-as-light vocals and Art Hirahara's lyrical piano make their duo outing exactly "what the world needs now" ... As always, Kent is something of a chameleon; whether swinging, singing ballads, or rendering folk songs in French, she makes each song unique in her trademark, subtly enthusiastic way. Hirahara, who plays every Wednesday at my favorite bar in Greenwich Village, is a veteran talent who should be trumpeted ... Songs from Other Places is an exceptional vehicle for each artist, as Kent's keen interpretations dance with Hirahara's dynamic, empathetic piano, which equally leads and supports. Some music seems fated to match a moment in time. Songs from Other Places provides that level of sublime solace for ours".

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"These 10 songs were recorded during lockdown and first released, one at a time, as digital singles. Each, in its own way, reveals the universal longing at that time for movement, travel and the outside world ... It's hard to believe that even the two performing artists, Stacey Kent and pianist Art Hirahara, were confined hundreds of miles apart. The rapport between them is perfect, and all the more remarkable because their individual parts were recorded at different times ... The opening song, I Wish I Could Go Travelling Again, sets the theme for this cleverly chosen and absorbing album ... Two Jobim pieces, one sung in English and the other in Portuguese plus a French song, Les Voyages, remind us that Stacey Kent is a truly international artist".

Read review