CD Review: Germana Stella La Sorsa & Tom Ollendorff

Critically acclaimed Italian singer and storyteller Germana Stella La Sorsa and exciting, rising star guitarist Tom Ollendorff are set to release a new studio album ‘After Hours’ on 11^th July on 33 Jazz Records. The album succeeds La Sorsa’s debut album ‘Vapour’ in 2021, ‘Primary Colours’ in 2024 and Ollendorff’s debut album ‘A Song For You’ in 2021 and ‘Open House’ in 2023. Working together since 2022, this is quite simply a wonderful, inspiring pairing of musicians and an exquisite album.

With only six tracks, the album can be described as short and sweet, featuring some joint original compositions together with arrangements of a Beatles song and a track by Brazilian composer Pixinguinha. My initial ‘dip in’ to the album was via this album trailer, which is beautifully intimate and raw, drawing the listener in and demonstrating the artistic chemistry between the two musicians. It is indeed a thing of beauty.

La Sorsa’s vocals are pure, and the simplicity of the production allows the listener to really appreciate every vocal note and every guitar chord. With La Sorsa’s focus on returning to the origins of her voice, she has selected the perfect partner to bring this vision to life. Ollendorff’s sensitivity and ability to synchronise his playing with the vocal lines is outstanding, contributing beautiful accompaniment, inspiring harmonisations, unison phrases and more complex moments to branch out into some stunning guitar solos. The whole experience is magical and enchanting, being captivated by two shining stars.

The opening track on the album Because is the first of two single releases from the album (released 23^rd May), a cover track paying homage to songwriters John Lennon and Paul McCartney. La Sorsa’s haunting solo vocals and lyrics set the scene for the album perfectly and showcases her storytelling style. In the first original track Procida, unison guitar and vocals are a key feature, with a lovely guitar solo. This is the second single track from the album to be released on 20^th June.

In Time and (S) Pace begins with a guitar introduction which highlights Ollendorff’s beautiful sensitivity as a player. Carinhoso is the next track, composed by Brazilian composer Pixinguinha. Opening with a flurry of guitar notes, the track becomes more rhythmic as it progresses, a welcome contrast which momentarily lifts the energy of the album. Next is a melancholic, pensive song After Hours which I feel shares similar characteristics to Billie Holiday’s ‘Strange Fruit’ and ‘Summertime’ with the minor key and expressive vocal lines.

The album concludes with what is my favourite track, Alice in Wonderland. A contrast to the rest of the album. This track has a livelier 5/4 feel, with an introduction that instantly brings to mind Paul Desmond’s ‘Take Five’. I love this track, and it is a great way to conclude a very sensitive and pensive album with a more light-hearted feel. The vocal scatting also adds a nice contrast.

As a fellow musician, music for me is all about expressing emotions and creating a connection with the listener to evoke feelings and emotions. I love an album which feels personal, where the artists are laying their souls to bare. It is an honour to gain an insight into the inner soul of the musicians, and this is something I really love about this album. It is so pure, stripped back and raw. There’s no big production; it’s just music from the heart and a breath of fresh air. Their vision to create ‘a celebration of the beauty of simplicity’ has been achieved quite perfectly.

‘After Hours’ releases on 11^th July on 33 Jazz Records