Album Review/ Jazz : Maria Solena’s ‘Yesterday and Tomorrow’

Maria Solena crafts worlds of emotion and human sentiment with her vocals. Her music is a whole world view, a perspective that gives power and beauty to her experiences. That authenticity and personal touch is so rare when it comes to modern music making. She brings the classic to the contemporary in such graceful a style that it will have you savoring music in a way that you haven’t in a long time. Her latest release is ‘Yesterday and Tomorrow’, an apt theme to explore her sense of style and music ideas through. It has some covers of classic jazz ballads and others, her own original compositions. And somehow, they all unite to celebrate her style. 

‘Just the Two of Us’, a delicate and mellow cover of Bill Withers’ 1980s classic song of the same name. Maria casts a jazz, bluesy folk ambience with moments of sax, flutes, and misty eyed romantic vocals. You can imagine the moonlight, the love, and the fresh fragrance of romance through the track. ‘Open Your Eyes’ follows on a serene breeze with frolicking flute melodies. It has a fairytale atmosphere, a light ethereal swirl going round. With bluesy moments dispersed freely, it silently fills the room around you. It shimmers and sparkles, so naturally magical. Falling in love can be scary, even more so when your mind is closed off from it. 

The album evokes the complex stories of falling in love. There are so many out there, so many ways to experience the feeling. Each song carries a fresh tale of the emotion. In ‘If It’s Real Love’, we engage with a contemplation on true love and how it can conquer it all. Time, adversities, and doubt. In ‘The Dream’, a softness immerses us all, one that makes you ache with tenderness and soft bursts of joy. ‘September’ will remind you of falling in love. Come autumn, when love can find you right around the corner, this song is an ode to the season, the time, the month. 

She weaves through many nuances of love. Even though they might not cover them all, they will strike a resonating chord, so effortlessly, naturally. ‘Before the Night is Done’ is made with sensual bluesy notes. Moody with soft jazz and carrying grooves. ‘Grateful’ frolicks like the feeling itself. So happy and hopeful, just a few seconds of it can get your mood up. Beauty starts showing up everywhere around you, and life feels a little bit more colorful. 

Finally, ‘Yesterday and Tomorrow’, the title track concludes the album. Its momentous instrumentals, melodic tides, and aura are timeless. Suspended somewhere in the middle of nowhere, a perspective forms. The vocals contemplate, searching hopefully, exploring the space for meaning, for answers. Its slow, gradual, and unforced findings gives the listener a way to think about things. No arrogant finality, but always a heart open to seek and grow. Listen Now! 

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The album is available for streaming on popular sites like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Amazon Music! 

You can listen to ‘Yesterday and Tomorrow’ by Maria Solena here -