Charm＜限定盤＞

過去にノラ・ジョーンズなどのプロデュースを手掛けている、El Michels AffairのリーダーでもLeon Michelsがプロデュースした1stシングル「Sexy To Someone」などが収録される、クレイロの3rdアルバム

70年代のジャズ、サイケデリック・フォークとソウルのグルーヴにインスパイアされた、温かみのある作品
NYのクイーンズにあるDiamond Mine RecordingとAllaire Studiosにて、ライヴ演奏からテープへトラックダウンされ、ファンクレジェンドのシャロン・ジョーンズやザ・ブラックキーズ等と仕事をしたことがあるプロデューサーのLeon Michelsが厳密なアナログ・レコーディング手法にこだわった形で作業が進められ、完成した。

After taking Clairo out of the bedroom and into the studio on 2021s orchestral folk/pop record Sling, Claire Cottrill did another re-think for her 2024 album Charm. She headed to the studio with Daptone Records heavy Leon Michels and his crew of musicians and resurfaced with a batch of laid-back soul-meets-soft rock tracks that show off Cottrills feathery vocals and gently hooky songs to great effect. Where she sometimes sounded overpowered by the musical backing on Sling, here she’s completely in charge as her keyboards and vocals slot in perfectly with the inventive work of the group. Never has she sounded as assured as on the bubbling "Sexy to Someone" or the almost insistent "Add Up My Love," and its nice to hear that she isnt happy just sticking to her strong suit of wistful ballads. Of course, there are a ton of those here and they sound wonderful too. She delivers songs like the dreamy “Slow Dance,” the sleepily Stereolab-inspired “Echo,” and the sweet treat “Nomad” -- which opens the album in understatedly dramatic fashion -- with understated grace, and the mix of pianos, vintage synths, electric keys, and live instrumentation is pitch perfect and full of surprises. The bleating clarinets, breakbeats, male backing vocals, clicky drum machines, and flutes all dart into the mix to give splashes of color while the team of Cottrill and Michels judiciously drops dashes of echo and reverb to give the sounds a hint of a psychedelic vibe. This kind of vibrant attention to detail is a big change from her previous work, where it was easy to tune out as the music became aural wallpaper instead of truly engaging the listener. Theres no problem with that here. Her music sounds like that of Tennis, but Cottrill has found a way to inject plenty of heart, soul, and low-key energy into a sound that can often lack all three. Too many times, artists who try this kind of backward-looking, blatantly vintage approach end up sounding like stiff museum pieces, but thats not the case with Charm. Thanks to the always-sympathetic production, Cottrills dedication, and the overall strength of the songs, Charm has a living, breathing sound that makes for Clairos most inviting and easy-to-love record yet. ~ Tim Sendra

ベッドルーム・ポップ然としたロスタム制作の初作、ジャック・アントノフと組んでサッドな風情を纏った2作目……とアルバムを通じて多面的な表情を見せてきたクレイロの3作目は、70年代の女性シンガー・ソングライター作品やソフト・ロックを想起させる凛とした親しみやすさを備えた聴き心地にまたまた変化。プロデュースにあたったのは適任としか言いようのないリオン・マイケルズで、ビッグ・クラウン産のヴィンテージなあれこれやノラ・ジョーンズ『Visions』を思わせるスタイルで主役の微熱と愁いを引き出している。ローラ・ニーロを思わせる瞬間もあり、まさにこのジャケの表情から連想できる内容かも。
bounce (C)狛犬