A brilliant lyricist and songwriter in addition to being a vocalist who sets the contemporary jazz standard for exciting, otherworldly re-imaginings of pop standards, L.A. Jazz treasure Cathy Segal-Garcia summed up the mission of her unique Social Anthems series brilliantly in the liner notes of her Volume 1 set in 2021. She wrote, “Music is capable of seeping into the cracks of our lives, touching on our pain and vulnerabilities, so ultimately it can offer us hope and healing."
A few years after the pandemic, the world is in even greater need of that, and Cathy continues to mine fresh ways to provide that on her equally impactful, adventurously arranged and powerfully performed album Social Anthems Volume 2.
Vibing with an ever-inventive ensemble of fellow L.A. greats, including pianist and B-3 master Carey Frank, vibraphonist Nick Mancini and guitarist Will Brahm, the singer’s approach to socially conscious jazz is to boldly address the fraught, anxious state of the sociopolitical zeitgeist of today via dazzlingly original interpretations of politically charged classic rock jams of previous generations. Perhaps her most imaginative fusions of past and present is the tense, hypnotic and bluesy-atmospheric take on Sting’s mid-80’s classic “Russians” where she cleverly updates the story by switching out Kruschev and Reagan for Putin and Biden and for good measure adding a few narrative bars of Prokofiev and her own 2022 composition “My Russia.”
Elsewhere, she continues the soulfully astute sensitivity of the Marvin Gaye aesthetic that she began on Vol 1 with “Save the Children” with a bubbly, passionately phrased (and vibes-infused) take on “Inner City Blues/Make Me Wanna Holler” – so much a centerpiece of the action here that Cathy includes a Remix as a bonus cut.
It’s testament to Cathy’s rich artistry as a songwriter that her lone original, the offbeat, slightly bluesy and crafty internal rhyme filled “The Beginning of You,” fits comfortably among two Peter Gabriel classics – the opener “In Your Eyes” and “Book of Love,” sung as a charming, world-wise duet with Paul Jost – and consciousness shifting classics by Stevie Wonder (“Living for the City,” featuring powerhouses vocalist Mon David) and Crosby, Stills & Nash (“Suite Judy Blue Eyes”).
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