Coming in with some lusciously tasteful piano, jazzy, uplifting, and mellow, ‘If It Wasn’t For Your Love’ is a gorgeous ‘thank you’ to family and childhood nurturing, all wrapped up in a mix of jazz, blues, and gentle pop, singer songwriter Nelda Kuzuma’s soulful vocal and keys mixing with Artis Aleksejevs’ tasteful brushed drums and clarinet and brother Arturs’ wandering, laconic bassline and synths. Think old-school club, all smoky noir and tabletop tealight candles, twenties-style cocktail dresses and zoot suits, and you won’t go far wrong.
It’s beautifully played and arranged, restrained yet lively, thankful and joyous and oh so, so good, Kuzuma’s smooth, syrupy delivery absolutely soothing and caressing, sultry and sensual and seemingly effortless, leaping over the rolling tempo changes and that tight-but-loose rhythm section groove. At a point where the world feels just ever-so-slightly over-ridden with negative uncertainty, ‘If It Wasn’t For Your Love’ is, simply, a glorious time-out; an absolute upswing of positivity, laid-back, chilled, and delivered with such utter charm and feel it’s impossible not to feel just a little bit brighter for listening. It’s a perfect pick-me-up prescription.
You can check out ‘If It Wasn’t For Your Love’, and its accompanying video, on YouTube. And you really, really should. Right now.
Review by Alex Holmes