Rising Sun

by The Souljazz Orchestra

Having been impressed by some other recent Strut recordings, and lured in by the beautiful cover art, I thought it would be worth giving this album a try, which turned into a very wise decision from my perspective.

This album starts simply, but builds to the second track, 'Agbara', which is an upbeat and stirring piece of music.  'Negus Negast', the third track, sounds slightly African in its temperament, and is a lovely piece of music.

The album moves from slow and contemplative to upbeat and joyful a couple of times, as it moves from 'Serenity' (sixth track), through 'Consecration' (7th) to 'Rejoice', both the eighth and ninth final tracks, which in turn echo the first and second.

This album stands up to repeated listening, and while it could work quite nicely as background in a restaurant, it deserves to be listened to attentively.  Great stuff.