For fans of Laura Ann Singh, her latest album is well worth the wait. The multilingual American singer, recording artist, and composer based in Richmond, Virginia, is often associated withmusica popular brasilieraand Latin boleros, and has recorded and performed globally, with a repertoire drawn from all over Latin America,including American Songbook standards, women composers, and original music. However, Mean Reds is the first record to feature all songs she either wrote or co-wrote.
Earlier this year, in collaboration with Rosette String Quartet, Singh released Crumb of Me, an LP of commissioned arrangements of songs by women composers. This time around, she joins forces with four musicians, who call themselves Fracas Quintet and feature Scott Clark on drums, Adam Hopkins on bass, John Lilley on saxophone, and Bob Miller on trumpet. This album not only speaks to Singh’s compositional prowess but also to the unique sound these five musicians can conjure.
The sound is distinctly a form of vocal jazz, but with a freeform approach that sets it apart from traditional jazz singer records. The mysterious, simmering balladry of the opening song, “River”, sets the scene. Once Singh’s vocals appear, we could easily be in Joni Mitchell territory (circa Mingus or Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter) as she sings of love being like a river emptying into a vast sea. However, at the song’s conclusion, she sings: “Maybe I don’t like to sing about love / Who has ever added to a river by singing?”
Singh and the group continue to gleefully confound expectations with “Highway Monster”, as the quintet takes a left turn into jazz-leaning post-punk, with Clark’s relentless drumming pummeling the listener in a brash anthem of protest. “This highway is a monster,” Singh sings, “This is my American scream.” Lilley’s wailing saxophone is one of the song’s highlights. “Counting” takes the same approach, albeit with a bilingual angle, and the effect is more Patti Smith than Joni Mitchell, but the result is a refreshing take on this wild, free jazz journey.
“She Said” may be the biggest and most enjoyable surprise, as Singh and the band twist their instrumentation on what sounds like a delightful, high-octane power-pop single. “She said, let’s write a song,” Singh shouts with mirthful abandon. “She said, that’s the shit that’s the one / I feel electric inside / I can do anything with her by my side.”
With the title track, Singh enjoys playing with tempo: the song begins as a haunting ballad, then the band jump into a playful bebop groove as Miller’s trumpet expertly mirrors Singh’s vocals, and eventually erupts into a wild solo. The ensemble lock into tight, ethereal grooves with exquisite torch songs like “Do Not Remain” and the closing track, “Before You’re Gone”, which sounds like a long-lost standard, albeit one that Ornette Coleman somehow got his hands on.
It’s a safe bet that you probably won’t hear anything quite like Mean Reds. Laura Ann Singh and her able-bodied band of co-conspirators steer their reckless way through traditional jazz, torch song elegance, avant-garde experiments, and an anarchic sense of punk rebellion. Any artist looking to break the rules would gain a great deal by following their lead.