The sound of quality

The two musical acts today have always been branded winners. In the case of Sara Bareilles, from her very first album, she’s been hailed as one of the more gifted contemporary singer/songwriters. As for Disclosure, the young British brothers have been called the future of electronic/club/house music.

Sara Bareilles — What’s Inside: Songs From Waitress (Epic Records, available on Amazon.com). Asked to write music for the film Waitress, with the intent to stage it as a musical and she so loved the exercise, Sara decided to release an album with her own interpretation of the songs. I understand the musical hits Broadway April 2016, and so this is a wonderful preview of how Sara has conceptualized and created music that stands on its own as a pop song, and can be appreciated as part of a bigger whole —the musical comedy. Jason Mraz joins Sara on two songs — Bad Idea and You Matter to Me. She Used to Be Mine is the carrier ballad that truly sparkles. I loved the various musical influences like salsa and traditional show tunes. Wonderfully talented woman — and I loved the album design. This is Sara growing as an artist and I have high hopes for the Broadway show.

Disclosure — Caracal (Island Records). For those who need to know, the Caracal is a sleek mountain cat — and it’s a really appropriate “mascot” for this second major label release of the Lawrence brothers. Wily, sophisticated, feral and yet, polished; one can sense how the band is growing musically in this album. The likes of Sam Smith, The Weeknd, Lorde, Gregory Porter and Lion Babe are again providing vocal support, but my fave tracks are the ones with Nao (Superego), Kwabs (Willing & Able) and Miguel (Good Intentions). And the tracks where the brothers take on the vocal chores are surprisingly good — listen to Jaded and Echoes. While one can say the music has taken a smoother, slicker turn and we may miss the rougher house approach of the first album, one can’t discount how the music has evolved in a manner that makes us curious for the next chapter.