Clara Hill - Restless Times

They say behind every great man stands a great woman. It stands to reason then, that behind the six great men who make up Germany’s broken-beat-nu-jazz masters Jazzanova there would be six great women. However, in the case of Clara Hill it only takes one woman stepping to the forefront to even up the creative power between the sexes. Hill has been tipping the scales of gender balance in the Sonar Kollektiv camp for a while. She appeared on Jazzanova’s “In Between” album as the vocalist on “No Use”, and dueted with Georg Levin on his sublime groover “I Got Somebody New”. Now she steps out from behind the veil with executive producers Jazzanova, for her full-length debut, “Restless Times”.

“Restless Times” stands shoulder to shoulder with this year’s strongest releases. This genre bending album flows through emotional vibes from the melancholy “Silent Distance” to the reflective and peaceful “I’m There”. “Restless Times” spans a variety of tempos as well sporting a mid-tempo groove on “That Easy”, delving into sultry ballads like “Maybe Now”, and kicking up to a steady dance rhythm with the title track and “Here”.

She hits the RnB mark spot on with her remake of Peter Brown’s “For Your Love” and “Reprise” (think Patrice Rushen with a hint of a German accent).

While some artists attempt to create an organic sound with electronic music, “Restless Times” embraces a “techie” overtone. At the same time, Hill’s gorgeous vocal harmonies coupled with lush chords envelop you in a sense of warmth often missing from today’s electronic music. “Morning Star” demonstrates this best, combining blippy-beats with acoustic guitar, cleverly arranged and conceptualized with spare presentation.

Kudos to Clara! “Restless Times” is a true gem full of wonderful subtleties and brimming with soul.

Listen to samples from Restless Times:

1. Maybe Now - M3U
2. For Your Love - M3U
3. Silent Distance - M3U
4. Restless Times - M3U
5. Flawless - M3U
6. That Easy - M3U
7. Here - M3U
8. Flawless, Pt. 2 - M3U
9. I'm There - M3U
10. Morning Star - M3U
11. Reprise - M3U
12. Source - M3U