Capathia Jenkins & Louis Rosen - The Ache Of Possibility - Di-Tone Records 2010

The Ache Of Possibility kicks off with the Gospel influenced "How You Gonna Save Em?" A tune that contains soulful horns from Andrew Sterman and Dave Phillips backing up Capathia Jenkins' deliberate and powerful singing.

"I Want To Live To Love You" is a smokey, jazzy love tune with lovely acoustic melodies by Rosen. There's a really cool solo break where in sections, Rosen's acoustic harmonizes along with Rob Moose's electric guitar, creating a brief, but awesome instrumental moment on the disc.

Many of the songs on the album deal with socially relevant subject matter, most of all the economy and hard times. "The Middle Class (Used To Be) Blues" explains how the gap between the haves and have nots is widening, and the middle class is evaporating. The songwriting by Rosen here is fantastic. Rosen also handles vocals for the first time on the record, here.

"Winter Daze" discusses hard times as well. "Love In Short Supply," though, is described as A Statement On Conservation, with Giovanni providing a contrast in her writing between the high demand for energy and low supply of caring. It's interesting to note here that the collaborations between Rosen and Giovanni on these songs is adapted from poems that Giovanni penned.

Love is another theme woven through The Ache Of Possibility. "On That Day" features beautiful flute and vibraphone work by Andrew Sterman and Erik Charlston, respectively. "Choices (The Best That I Can Do)" features vibraphone sounds, as well, along with flugelhorn. The various styles of instrumentation is a wondeful aspect of Jenkins & Rosen's music, providing the listener with a different experience from song to song. This, of course, is anchored by Capathia Jenkins' strong vocals.

The title track has a cool rhythm, anchored by Dave Phillips' bass playing. "The Ache of Possibility" lays out "the world gone wrong" with lyrics such as "Incompentence with every lie/Soldiers and civilians die/Money can't relieve our fear/And billions disappear each year." The deeply political song is very well written, with both music and lyrics by Louis Rosen. That bass line adding the perfect touch, along with some great violin fills by Paul Woodiel, as well as bongo playing by Roger Squitero. A powerful tune, to be sure.

"I Need You" is a duet between Jenkins and Rosen, with great comparisons like "Like Paul needed John/And John needed Paul." The clarinet by Andrew Sterman here is a cool touch.

The Ache Of Possibility wraps up with "Don't Hold Me Back," the album's final interpretation of Nikki Giovanni's poems; followed by the stripped down "A Lover's Melody," which features only guitars and bass backing Capathia's gentle singing; and finally, "Love of Song," a great tune about the love of music, played along a Spanish influenced melody.

The Ache Of Possibility is a wonderful album, certainly not hardcore Blues by any stretch of the imagination; but wonderfully eclectic, with influences of Blues peeking through along the course of the album's 52-minutes. The most notable aspects to pass along in this review are that Capathia Jenkins is a fantastic singer, and Louis Rosen is just as strong with the pen. That combination of singer and songwriter provides you with a great, socially concious, entertaining record.

Standout Tracks: "The Ache of Possibility," "How You Gonna Save Em?" and "The Middle Class (Used To Be) Blues"

Use This Widget To Hear Clips and Purchase Songs From The Ache Of Possibility by Capathia Jenkins and Louis Rosen

Have A Blues Review Of Your Own?

Are You Excited About This Release? Have You Heard This CD Yet? We Want Your Opinion! Share It With Us!