Archive

  


German keyboard genius Thomas Motter has made the music world blissful with the albums No Return (2005), Nite Angel (2006), High (2012), Lost & Loved (2013) and Somewhere Out There (2016). After personal strokes of fate, he has again found the strength for a new album in pandemic. His answer is Time (2021).

For Thomas, time is one of the most precious resources because it is limited and melts away so quickly. Conceptually, Thomas emphasizes many vocal contributions, juxtaposing singers with different timbres and performance styles. All tracks are written by Thomas often in cooperation with the relevant interpret.

The album opens with Closer 2U featuring highly expressive singer/songwriter LeNora Jaye. The energetic piece is powerfully supported by a strong brass trio consisting of Arno Haas (sax), Fred Birt (trombone) and Igor Rudytskyy (trumpet). Thomas Motter underlines everything with brilliant keyboard runs.

The bass accentuated Time Is Forever features Incognito bass player Francis Hyton and singer Fatma Tazegül in an indescribably intense ballad that cannot be surpassed in expressiveness.

Eternity presents singer Karl Frierson, who has already celebrated some successes with the German group De-Phazz. Harmony and arrangement, however, rather resemble the style of the group Incognito. On the interlude Time Warp keyboardist Thomas Motter and saxophonist Arno Haas explore the boundaries of the sonic universe.

Don't Go Very Far features jazz and soul singer Michelle J. Bradshaw who redefines the term soul. L.O.V.E. displays two vocal personalities, lead singer Vanessa Holmes and French rapper Patrice Ayivi. The song is a conglomerate of French Hip hop, r&b and cool jazz.

All Nite Long is a super sonic choral interlude, which could easily have been a bit longer. Not Too Long Ago however, is the desired extension, which slides into the psychedelic. Prince would have had his fun with this piece.

The quite socially critical Time For Sale brings the message across covertly yet transparently, while the musical wrapping lets everything be catchy. Loving You Forever on the other hand, focuses on the interpersonal relationship in the form of burning love. Noteworthy are the singer Jimi Carrow and the song lyrics that Thomas wrote together with Jimi.

Marching to the Beat Of is a battle of words that rapper Daniel Denmark is having with time. At this point it should be praised that in the liner notes are the lyrics of all songs, which is especially for those who do not have English as a native language, a great ease of understanding.

Time featuring attractive singer Menoosha Susungi makes eloquent reference to an earlier meeting in Cairo on the Nile, which still smolders in the memory but soon threatens to fade.

On In Time, Thomas Motter turns up the synthesizer even more as he backs up the eccentric vocalist Princess Freezia and it all fits! Coming across with soulful feeling is Ty Causey, who lets us experience New Morning sonically. Rising Moon is a short intermezzo, which unfortunately floats away all too quickly.

One Day is a jazzy-tinged song with Fatma Tazegül as the scatting songstress. Billy Allen on guitar sets significant accents. Final tune is Nite Shift with Vanessa Holmes and ShawnFaye Stevenson setting vocal harmonies, with Thomas Motter on keys being the sustaining force.

Thomas Motter has created with Time a monumental work of vocal art that is second to none. One of the best albums of this year and certainly memorable for a long time.

 

 


 

Biography
Website

Buy the album in all stores

Album information
Title: Time
Artist: Thomas Motter
Year: 2021
Genre: Smooth Jazz
Label: Independent


Tracks:
1) Closer 2u (4:30)
2) Time Is Forever (3:26)
3) Eternity (4:56)
4) Time Warp (1:56)
5) Don't Go Very Far (3:57)
6) L.O.V.E. (3:43)
7) All Nite Long (0:27)
8) Not Too Long Ago (3:44)
9) Time for Sale (4:15)
10) Loving You Forever (4:33)
11) Marching to the Beat Of (3:39)
12) Time (5:03)
13) In Time (5:10)
14) New Morning (4:27)
15) Rising Moon (0:43)
16) One Day (3:53)
17) Nite Shift (3:34)

 


Further reviews

 Somewhere Out There

Lost & Love

High