Smooth Jazz Recording Artist Carol Albert and her new song/video "For The Moment" is featured in Beats Magazine sponsored by the Smooth Jazz Network. You can see the feature by clicking this link.
CAROL ALBERT MEETS THE COLLECTIVE ANXIETIES WE’VE FELT THIS PAST YEAR WITH A SOULFUL AND HOPEFUL REMINDER OF THE IMPORTANCE OF LIVING “FOR THE MOMENT”
If there’s anything positive we’ve learned over this challenging, anxiety ridden past year, it’s the importance of loving more deeply, being grateful for what we have and living, as the title of Carol Albert’s new single reminds us, “For The Moment.”
The Billboard charting pianist/composer may have written the soulful and lilting instrumental ballad - pre-pandemic, but its sense of cool, free-flowing joy taps powerfully and insightfully into our collective need for hope and optimism amidst the trauma during this anxious age of COVID-19. Produced by Carol, the track features guitarist Paul Brown so prominently that as it grooves along, it feels like a spirited melody and harmony dance/duet between the two smooth jazz hit makers. It also includes the powerhouse rhythm section of bassist Joseph Patrick Moore, drummer Jay Williams and percussionist Curtis McCain. Brown, who produced five tracks on the album, also mixed “For the Moment.” “Tying in with the overall theme of Stronger Now, the song reminds of being free and having the strength to not only endure but to express that freedom and love of life to the fullest,” says Carol. “When I wrote it, there was no way I could have predicted anything like this past year, but as a reminder about living and embracing the present, ‘For the Moment’ feels very relevant to what we’re all living through. “Perhaps more than ever before,” she adds, “with all the uncertainties and upheavals, we’ve had to face, we have learned about the fragility of our lives and the reality that we only have and can count on the present – so we best embrace it. Though I wrote it from a deeply emotional place as I was coming out of a tragic personal loss, I’m grateful that it can be appreciated and perhaps offer a sense of hope on a more universal level now.” With the release of “For the Moment,” the Atlanta based artist continues to build on the incredible career momentum she’s experienced since breaking through on the smooth jazz charts in 2017 with “Mas Que Nada” and her debut Billboard charting single “One Way.” She scored her two biggest successes with “Femme Flight,” a Brazilian flavored song that featured flutist Ragan Whiteside and saxophonist Magdalena Chovancova, and “Perfect Sunday” (featuring Brown on guitar), both of which reached #4 on the Billboard Smooth Jazz Airplay chart. “Femme Flight” also earned Carol a new legion of fans via extensive airplay on SiriusXM’s Watercolors. Carol’s other recent radio hits include the Top 5 single “Fly Away Butterfly” (the title track from her previous album, released in 2017), the Latin tinged “Sun’s Out” (which reached #7), “Chasing Waterfalls” and “One Way.” “It’s been very rewarding to see how my music has resonated with people, and the radio airplay and appreciation from listeners are a wonderful confirmation that I’m on a strong creative path and achieving my goals on this very personal quest,” says Carol, whose multi-faceted career includes eight albums dating back to the 90s, including the new age oriented releases Morning Music and Night Music. “In addition to the opportunity to touch and inspire so many people with these songs, on a purely creative level it’s been an incredible experience to work with so many of the genre’s highest caliber musicians, from Paul Brown to L’il John Roberts. It’s been wonderful to find so many new ways to grow creatively and continue developing my art.”
Carol Albert's latest album titled, "Stronger Now" is now available at all leading digital retailers. Click the logos (apple / spotify +) below the album image to buy/stream/download the album from your preferred retailer. You may also buy the album at the Official Carol Albert Store.
Watch the Official Video SingleLearn more about the album - go to the official album pageBuy Tickets to the official CD Release ConcertSPIRITUALLY, EMOTIONALLY, MUSICALLY, THERE’S NO DOUBT ABOUT IT – CAROL ALBERT IS FEELING ‘STRONGER NOW’! The Billboard Charting Pianist/Composer’s New Life-Affirming Album – Set to Drop January 31, 2020 – Features Production By Two-time Grammy Winner Paul Brown and Includes Her Top Ten Hits “Femme Flight” and “Sun’s Out” Embarking on a fresh new chapter in her life musically, emotionally and spiritually, Carol Albert builds upon the inspiring career-shifting momentum of her recent Billboard Top Ten chart successes with her perfectly titled new full-length album Stronger Now. Featuring all original songs written and arranged by the prolific composer and pianist, the stylistically eclectic, 10 track collection - follow up to her 2017 breakthrough album Fly Away Butterfly – is set for release on Cahara Records January 31, 2020. Stronger Now includes two tracks previously released as singles that lit up terrestrial, internet and satellite stations. The Atlanta based artist scored her biggest success to date early in 2019 with the Brazilian flavored “Femme Flight,” which hit #4 on the Billboard Smooth Jazz Songs chart. Produced by Carol, mixed by two-time Grammy winning hitmaker Paul Brown and featuring flutist Ragan Whiteside and saxophonist Magdalena Chovancova, the track also earned Albert a new legion of fans via airplay on SiriusXM’s Watercolors. Also featured on Stronger Now is Carol’s latest single “Sun’s Out,” a Latin tinged track produced and mixed by Brown that is currently in the Top Ten on the Billboard Smooth Jazz Songs chart as well as MediaBase, Smooth Jazz Top 20 at #5, Radiowave at #3 and GrooveJazz Chart at #2. Her earlier chart hits include “Chasing Waterfalls” (which reached #15), “Fly Away Butterfly” (#5) and “One Way.” Stronger Now is the first of Carol’s albums to predominantly feature production by Brown, who has scored over 60 #1 chart smashes for genre greats Peter White, Larry Carlton, Rick Braun, Kirk Whalum, Euge Groove, the late Al Jarreau and many others. In addition to the five tracks he produced (“Stronger Now,” “Love Again,” “Perfect Sunday,” “Sun’s Out,” “I Am Fine”), Carol helmed “For The Moment” (which features Brown on guitar), “Femme Flight” and “Moon on the Water” and co-produced (with Brown’s longtime associate Lew Laing) “Winter Rain” and “’Til We Meet Again.” Carol’s infectious piano melodies take wing with some of contemporary urban jazz’s top sidemen, including bassists Sam Sims, Roberto Vally and Joseph Patrick Moore and drummers L’il John Roberts, Gorden Campbell and Jay Williams. While most of the tracks were created digitally, with Carol recording in Atlanta and sending her foundational files to Brown at The Funky Joint in L.A. for him to build on, the songs featuring Sims and Roberts (“Love Again” and “Perfect Sunday”) were cut live in Atlanta. Key contributions were also made by Ben Babylon (string and French horn arrangements), Lee Thornburg (horn arrangements, flugelhorn and valve trombone) and acoustic guitarist Daniel Baraszu. Another point of interest: Carol recorded her parts on “Femme Flight,” “Love Again,” Perfect Sunday” and “Moon on the Water” on a venerable piano that Elton John and many other legendary artists have played at Silent Sound Studio in Atlanta. “I met Paul at a show he did in Atlanta through my friend, trumpeter Rob Zinn, and he said to give him a call when I started working on my new album,” Carol says. “He took his incredible ear and years of experience working with all kinds of artists to make incredible suggestions, oversee and put everything together, mix it to perfection and truly elevate my work. I’m so impressed with the quality of these musicians and the way all the elements came together. I’m very proud of Stronger Now and think it is the best work of my career.” From the title track to “Love Again,” from “For the Moment” to “I am Fine,” “Moon on the Water” and “’Til We Meet Again,” Stronger Now is thematically a reflection of the powerful emotional journey Carol has been on these past few years – and her ongoing resilience in the face of great loss. “My last album Fly Away Butterfly was written and recorded during a healing phase of my life after the sudden death of my husband,” she says. “This new chapter in my life has been about making it on my own. I am happy to note that one friend who heard ‘Femme Flight’ said, ‘I see your butterfly has morphed into another winged animal’ in free flight. During this period of my life, I have learned to experience joy, laughter, happiness and love, as well as many moods of solitude and introspection.”
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