Single Review: Willows (2021) by Sarah L King Quintet

Willows, vocal Sarah L King’s first original, is a beautiful lullaby embellished with great instrumental technique, vocals, and labor expended mixing.

Check out their website for more background of the band and their work! Follow Sarah L. King Quintet on Instagram: @sarahlkingquintet Click here to listen to Willows on Spotify

---

Sarah L King vocals | composer James Buckham keys Tom Clarke drums Mark Rose double bass Willows starts with a solo melody on the piano that opens the door for the listener with nontraditional chord progressions. Shortly after the brushed drums and double bass enter in to form the perfect atmosphere for the jazz vocal. Sarah L. King’s sound and her usage of her voice are soothing and relaxing while instrumentalists accompany her in this journey.

While the overall sound of Willows belongs to the vocal jazz tradition, Sarah’s composition, the instrumental technique mainly focused on the piano, and different chord progressions make the sound of Willows have a distinctive individuality within the tradition they belong. With great mixing, Sarah L King Quintet also managed to sound live and robust even though the recordings were taken separately in these quarantine-days. The lyrics of Willows is an ode to a meadow in Cambridgeshire, UK, making the song a perfect lullaby being in perfect harmony and accordance with the instrumentalism, composing, and the overall sound of the song.