GIANT STEP™ | Janita Forum - 'Seasons of Life' Review

Location:

New York, NY

Apr 28th, 2006 at 09:46:32 AM EST

Not sure how I missed this review, but it's a good read.

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Janita 'Seasons Of Life'
Contributed by Stephen Thomas (Underground Soul)
Sunday, 04 December 2005

JANITA– Seasons Of Life
Light Year/WEA
****

Finnish beauty Janita won many fans in soul / jazz circles with her last album, “I’ll Be Fine”, released back in 2001. She is unlikely to have disappointed them with this follow up, a beautifully crafted, smooth soul affair which contains strong latin and jazz undercurrents.

One of the most noticeable features about this new set of songs is the lavish sting arrangements provided by a 16-piece live orchestra. This adds great depths to songs such as the yearning “More Than Fantasy” and “I Miss You”, a warm, midtempo track which has something of the summer about it. Also notable is the strength of Janita’s songwriting ability. Always sensitive and introspective, it would be unfair to pick just one example of this characteristic of her music. Nevertheless, I will proceed to do just that. The lovely “Bear With Me” contains the lyrics: “I’m happy to be wrapped around your finger / I’m happy to be hanging on a string / I’m happy even when I lose control of my emotions / You let me be me”. Her words are always delivered with sincerity and a subtle but certain passion, though she rarely stretches her voice. Perhaps this is no bad thing in a world of screeching Mariah Carey wannabes.

Elsewhere, “I Only Want You” is a classic-in-the-making – a soulful ballad led by some nice horns and piano chords, with just a hint of the Jill Scott to it. The downtempo, “That’s How Life Goes”, sounds as though it could’ve been taken from Conya Doss’ recent set on Dome. And “No Words”, the albums opener, is a joyous, samba-driven ode to knowing that you’ve found love.

Despite my preference for more adventurous and funkier soul music, I thoroughly enjoyed this album from start to end. Indeed, judged in terms of what the album tries to achieve it’s difficult to find fault with it. If you’re on the lookout for a mature, smooth jazz / soul album then you definitely can’t go wrong by purchasing “Seasons Of Life”. Originally released independently earlier this year, “Seasons of Life” gets an official release in Spring 2006 via Lightyear / WEA – proof that quality does shine through.


	THURSDAY \| DEC 04, 2008		Find a forum: Advanced Search You are here: All : All Artists : Janita Forum : 'Seasons of Life' Review Author Message Michael Yu Location: New York, NY Apr 28th, 2006 at 09:46:32 AM EST Not sure how I missed this review, but it's a good read. ---------------------------------------------------- Janita 'Seasons Of Life' Contributed by Stephen Thomas (Underground Soul) Sunday, 04 December 2005 JANITA– Seasons Of Life Light Year/WEA **** Finnish beauty Janita won many fans in soul / jazz circles with her last album, “I’ll Be Fine”, released back in 2001. She is unlikely to have disappointed them with this follow up, a beautifully crafted, smooth soul affair which contains strong latin and jazz undercurrents. One of the most noticeable features about this new set of songs is the lavish sting arrangements provided by a 16-piece live orchestra. This adds great depths to songs such as the yearning “More Than Fantasy” and “I Miss You”, a warm, midtempo track which has something of the summer about it. Also notable is the strength of Janita’s songwriting ability. Always sensitive and introspective, it would be unfair to pick just one example of this characteristic of her music. Nevertheless, I will proceed to do just that. The lovely “Bear With Me” contains the lyrics: “I’m happy to be wrapped around your finger / I’m happy to be hanging on a string / I’m happy even when I lose control of my emotions / You let me be me”. Her words are always delivered with sincerity and a subtle but certain passion, though she rarely stretches her voice. Perhaps this is no bad thing in a world of screeching Mariah Carey wannabes. Elsewhere, “I Only Want You” is a classic-in-the-making – a soulful ballad led by some nice horns and piano chords, with just a hint of the Jill Scott to it. The downtempo, “That’s How Life Goes”, sounds as though it could’ve been taken from Conya Doss’ recent set on Dome. And “No Words”, the albums opener, is a joyous, samba-driven ode to knowing that you’ve found love. Despite my preference for more adventurous and funkier soul music, I thoroughly enjoyed this album from start to end. Indeed, judged in terms of what the album tries to achieve it’s difficult to find fault with it. If you’re on the lookout for a mature, smooth jazz / soul album then you definitely can’t go wrong by purchasing “Seasons Of Life”. Originally released independently earlier this year, “Seasons of Life” gets an official release in Spring 2006 via Lightyear / WEA – proof that quality does shine through.