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On her exhilarating fourth album, Alyssa Allgood strides confidently into the next phase of her impressive young career. Her rich, clear contralto comes as no surprise, thanks to her previous recordings, but she has taken her phrasing, improvising, and sense of swing up yet another notch.

And while Allgood has included an increasing number of original compositions on each previous disc, From Here — made up of nearly all original compositions — finds her at a new pinnacle of personal expression and emotional observation.

“These songs are reflections of my journey — to understand and love myself more deeply, and to fully embrace my artistic vision as a bandleader, composer, and arranger,” says the Chicago-based Allgood.

Those reflections concern such themes as embracing change, but also knowing when to stand pat; how to feel good about a breakup, and even better about finding love; the need to treat oneself with compassion, and the hard truth that even the hardships we overcome remain with us in small yet important ways.

1. BURN (FOR BETTY) 5:58 2. YOUR WINGS 4:06 3. BOTH SIDES NOW 7:05 4. BRAVE LITTLE FLOWER 6:25 5. NO GOOD 5:15 6. OTHER SIDE 4:20 7. DREAM 4:36 8. ON A CLEAR DAY 5:11 9. STILL SEARCHING 5:37 10. ABOVE ALL ELSE 3:45 11. TIME TOLD 5:41 12. TURN TO GOLD 5:39

On an album where listening deeply allows for the gentle displacement of artifice, ego and traditional expectations, it opens on the vibrantly anthemic Beyond The Struggle (an homage to Betty Carter, and coming complete with impassioned scat vocals) and the ____________ of YOUR WINGS and then comes the Joni Mitchell classic BOTH SIDES NOW, the charmingly amiable BRAVE LITTLE FLOWER, and then we get both the sass-imbibed NO GOOD and the _____________ of OTHER SIDE.

Along next is the ______________ of DREAM and the 1965 Broadway cut ON A CLEAR DAY, and they are in turn backed by the harmonically-layered STILL SEARCHING, the album rounding out on the ______________ of Un Pequeño Desahogo, the profoundly earnest ABOVE ALL ELSE, closing on the heartfelt TIME TOLD (a love song to her fiancé) and the melodically charming TURN TO GOLD (featuring solo from John Patitucci).

Don’t think for a minute that the poetry of Allgood’s lyrics overshadows the propulsion and depth of her music. Sure, she taps into the vocal tradition of songful storytelling. But her immersion in the jazz aesthetic — with its emphasis on spontaneity and improvisation, and on compositions informed by a rich harmonic and rhythmic language — ensures that her messages swing hard too, and delight the intellect in the bargain.

Featuring some of music’s most lionized artists: GRAMMY winners John Patitucci and Geoffrey Keezer, dynamic drummer Kendrick Scott, saxophonist Greg Ward, and produced by acclaimed jazz vocalist Jeff Baker, ‘From Here’ finds Alyssa Allgood reaching a new pinnacle of personal expression, emotional observation, and artistic achievement. Staying true to her jazz roots, Allgood goes where few singers dare with an album featuring 10 original songs, boldly celebrating the traditions of soulful storytelling, spontaneity, and improvisation.

Official Amazon Purchase Link

www.alyssaallgood.com