Lisa Marie Simmons: NoteSpeak (In a Word)

Lisa Marie Simmons has a story to tell, and she tells it through melody, harmony, spoken word, lively woodwinds, jazz-inflected instrumentation, and a cast of special guests in NoteSpeak (In a Word). This is a unique vocal project, one that feels as much like a work of jazzy poetry and storytelling as it does a traditional album.

And Simmons has a way with words throughout the entire project.

For NoteSpeak (In a Word)there is a lot happening throughout this record. Simmons moves between love, longing, apathy, self-reflection, social consciousness, and even darker references to violence, sometimes shifting emotional perspectives from one track to the next. For listeners accustomed to a more conventional album built around an album built around a singular lyrical or emotional theme, some of these transitions may take a little more time to absorb. to absorb. But that unpredictability is also part of what makes the project distinctive. Rather than following one continuous storyline, the project feels more like a collection of interconnected observations and emotional landscapes.

What immediately stands out is Simmons' command of language and her ability to move between different emotional and musical spaces. Her smoky, silky voice is particularly effective against the jazz-oriented arrangements. The instrumentation often feels like another character in the storytelling, from the darker woodwinds and ethereal harmonies of "Taijitu" to the gentle contemporary gospel feel of "Once Upon" and the saxophone-led expansiveness of "Shaping the Yet to Be." "Taijitu" is perhaps the strongest example of the album's ability to bring storytelling, harmony, atmosphere, and vocal performance together. The understated backing vocals create an intimate, almost spoken quality behind the lead.

Throughout the project, Simmons i not afraid to experiment. Contemporary jazz, spoken word, gospel influences, Caribbean rhythms, synthesizer-treated vocals, and more atmospheric arrangements all find their place. Some tracks are intimate and reflective, while others are more socially conscious or emotionally challenging. That variety gives the album a sense of movement and keeps it from settling comfortably into one genre or mood.

Simmons' lyrics have a way of making larger ideas feel personal and relatable. In "Shaping the Yet to Be," the extended jazz introduction gives space for her slow, deliberate lyricism to unfold, with "radical foresight" standing out as a particularly memorable phrase. "Worm in a Book" brings that relatability closer to home with the simple question, "how does she feel less alone?"—a sentiment that is easy to recognize in ourselves. Even the understated "a job well done" in "BACH—Bold as Love" carries a quiet sense of reflection and accomplishment.

Ultimately, NoteSpeak (In a Word) feels like an invitation into Simmons' world rather than a conventional collection of songs. It is a project to listen to not only for the music, but for the words and ideas within it that will evoke self-reflection. Simmons has created something distinctly her own—thoughtful, unconventional, and rich with stories waiting to be unpacked.