Seaside | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 18 September 2015 (UK) | |||
Genre | Jazz | |||
Label | Linn Records (AKD 533) | |||
Producer | James McMillan | |||
Liane Carroll chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
The Guardian | [1] |
The Observer | [2] |
Mojo | [3] |
Seaside, a studio album by the English jazz pianist and vocalist Liane Carroll. It was released on 18 September 2015 on Linn Records.[4]Joe Stilgoe wrote the title track.[4][5]
Reviewing the album for the Scottish national newspaper The Herald, Keith Bruce described it as "not only Carroll's best disc, but one of the finest non-classical releases in the Linn catalogue".[6] Jim Burlong, writing for Jazz Views, said: "This is a wonderful album by one of our greatest jazz talents so full of quality and diversity. I doubt if there will be a better vocal based recording issued anywhere this year."[7] Dave Gelly, who gave the album four stars in his review for The Observer, described the title track as "a haunting piece, beautifully arranged, which brings out her extraordinary ability to absorb the essence of a song and deliver it with such candour that you scarcely notice the artistry involved".[2] John Fordham, in a four-star review for The Guardian, described Seaside as "casually expressive, unblinkingly honest, and often charmingly autobiographical" and said that only "the superb British standards-and-ballads singer Liane Carroll" could make an album like this one.[1] In a four-star review for Mojo, Fred Dellar described it as "jazz of the highest quality".[3] Peter Quinn, for Jazzwise, said: "Liane Carroll has that rare ability to meld effortless, often transcendent vocal and piano technique, with heart stopping emotion and soul bearing power. It should be no surprise then that her latest album, Seaside, combines all this with a savvy sophistication befitting of one of Britain’s finest jazz singers".[8] Writing also on The Arts Desk website, Quinn described Carroll's album as one of 2015's "outstanding vocal jazz releases... a sublime 10-track love letter to her home town of Hastings".[9] According to John Marley of Yorkshire daily newspaper The Press, it was the best 2015 vocal jazz album.[10]
The album was recorded in Hastings at Quietmoney Studios and produced by James McMillan. The cover photograph is by Carol Murphy.[11]