Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » James Bruce Moore: Soul’s Journey Home

1

James Bruce Moore: Soul’s Journey Home

By

View read count
James Bruce Moore: Soul’s Journey Home
James Bruce Moore is back to pluck his guitar as well as heartstrings with his new album, Soul's Journey Home. Fresh off the success of his debut album Lisbeth, Moore sounds renewed, and ready to share to the world more of his thoughts on life and love.

In Soul's Journey Home, the Toronto-based singer/songwriter croons of love in all its forms in an eclectic collection of tracks. Songs like "Open Your Heart" and "Bridge to Love" are the meat-and-potatoes of the album and play to Moore's strengths as a folk musician, while the jazzy groove of "Gentle Witness" is him clearly having fun with his music.

Most of the tracks in the album are accompanied by Aaron Davis' skillful string arrangements, which elevate Moore's guitar and vocals in songs like "Harsh Light of Day" and "Lovin.'" The message of regret over a lost love in "Harsh" is made more powerful with a string section to back it up, while "Lovin'"s piano solos turn the deceptively simple love song into something interesting and complex. Some might say Moore's lyrics are a bit on the cheesy side, with lines like "Hold your darlings close/Be sure to make the most of the day," but perhaps that's where his strengths lie. He won't be wowing anyone with his clever wordplay anytime soon, but it's that kind of earnest writing that makes his songs more heartfelt, more honest. And the crowning jewel of the album is the magnificent first track, "Soul's Journey." Opening with a soaring orchestral intro, "Soul's Journey" seamlessly transitions to Moore's sensitive guitar playing and vocals. "I start on my soul's journey home," Moore sings with sublime conviction. "I walk that straight road not alone." And you are compelled to follow him wherever his music may lead.

Soul's Journey Home is easy listening at its best and is a fine sophomore album from Moore. If he can produce an album like this even at this stage in his life, then it's safe to say we can expect more great music from him in the future.

Track Listing

Soul's Journey; Lovin'; Bridges to Love; Harsh Light of Day; Roy Benavidez; Gentle Witness; Lovin' of an Evening; Open Your Heart; Sigh Unto the Universe.

Personnel

James Bruce Moore: voice, guitar; George Koller: upright bass; Aaron Davis: Bechstein piano; Rob Piltch: guitar; Mark Mariash: drums; Kirsten Rea: backup vocals; Carol Gimbel: viola/concert mistress; Kathleen Kajioka: viola; Min Jeong Koh: violin; Sarah Nematallah: violin; Andrea Tyniec: violin; Ivan Ivanovich: violin; Alexa Wilks: violin; Rachel Mercer: cello; Rachel Desoer: cello.

Album information

Title: Soul’s Journey Home | Year Released: 2016 | Record Label: Self Produced

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

Near

More

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.