My GuessDiatribe ***
Dublin-born singer Lauren Kinsella is one of a new generation of improvising vocalists who claim for the voice the sort of liberties long taken for granted by other instruments. Composer, band leader and lead “horn” in this talented quintet, Kinsella has the chops and the sense of adventure of a jazz instrumentalist .
She weaves her own lyrics, bits of traditional scat, fragments of poetry and a repertoire of shrieks and moans into the fabric of the music, which is a crisp, contemporary take on Dave Holland and Steve Coleman. Dubliner Colm O’Hara’s intelligent trombone playing is the perfect foil to Kinsella’s feather-light voice, and the sure-footed rhythm section of Edinburgh pianist Tom Gibbs, Waterford bassist Mick Coady and London drummer Simon Roth knows exactly when to push and pull.
