- Bryon Harris
Grace Garland - “Super Nova (Live)”
Review by Dylan Lloyd & Staff
This live recording of Grace Garland’s original song “Super Nova” is a dynamic performance that showcases the immense musicality of Grace Garland and her band. The stylish vocals are certainly the focal point of this song with both blues and contemporary jazz vocal inflections that highlight Grace Garland’s immense vocal ability. As for the band, they really support the vocals on this song with a tight rhythm section that keeps a very smooth and moving groove throughout the entirety of this tune.
Lyrically this song is from the perspective of a woman who wants to be loved by a man who can “satisfy [her] needs”. With lyrics such as “But I’m home alone, On my own” and “Can you do the things you bragged about? Waste my time and you’ll be out.” Grace Garland conveys her desires with confidence and power. She lays it on the line stating she's a woman and not a girl. She's looking for a "Super Nova", a man who has what it takes to be her lover. Her rich alto tone, paired with the melodic choices, convey this lyrical message perfectly.
There are some great instrumental elements that come in throughout the song that change up the pace and also give the ear fresh sonic colors including a nice saxophone solo, plush organ, and tasteful guitar solos. The guitar solo starts out with a tremolo that adds some tension before entering the melodic part of the solo. The guitar solo follows the bluesy melody of the song, but also embellishes upon the song’s melody by bringing in new melodic ideas for an extra treat. The saxophone solo brings in its' own melodic lines adding a bit of tension with note bends throughout the solo as well.
It's rare to hear live recordings these days. Most songs are super-produced or recorded part by part in the studio. Grace Garland's "Super Nova (Live)" is a live performance that offers up high musicality from everyone in the band and a vocal performance that captivates from start to finish.
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About Grace Garland
Grace Garland has been described as “THE TINA TURNER OF JAZZ” due to her energy and passion! She is an award winning singer-songwriter-produce and a SAG/AFTRA AEA Actress. Ms Garland has toured Internationally with her own Jazz Band, sharing the Stage/Spotlight with: Cyrus Chestnut, Leonid Ptashka Peter Cincotti, Miss Phyllis Hyman, Misha Tsiganov, Jeff Barone, Cleve Douglass, Ms. Bobbi Humphrey, Evgeny Lebedev, Andrei Ryabov, Valery Ponomarev, Michika Fukumori, Nutsa, to name a few! Grace’s Jazz CD LADY G! described as “sexy/fun”- (RadioZenith-ItalianRadio), received a 2019 GLOBAL MUSIC Award-Silver Medal-ALBUM-Outstanding Achievement; The song “Lovers Never Lie (LIVE)” received a Fall 2019-CLOUZINE International Music Awards-BEST INDIE SONG; the song” Before You Fall Asleep” received a GLOBAL Music Award for lyrics, AND, is featured in the award-winning short film “Make Way For My Way”. Grace’s ROCK Anthem NEW YORK ATTITUDE, a love letter to NEW YORK, was nominated for Best Original Song in the 2020 Broadway World competition.
The Grace Garland Duo/Trio has maintained an OVER 10 year Thursday Music Residency in NYC at the Anyway Cafe-2nd Ave, with talented Jazz Musicians including Mr. Robin Radus, Scott Ritchie, Pete McCann, Maksim Perepelica, Manu Koch, Gary Fisher… Ms. Garland, the VOICE TALENT has countless radio/TV commercials under her belt (Grace’s FAVORITE, is a spot with the legendary Blues guitarist BB King); Loop Groups for several Films over the years from Malcolm X to Bessie (starring Queen Latifah), Mudbound (starring Mary J. Blige).
For more information on Grace Garland, please visit her website.