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Moon over Mildmay is the new album (released in March 2026) by British singer Tina Carr in collaboration with Miguel Gorodi (trumpet), Oli Hayhurst (bass), Kieran McLeod (trombone), Sam Newbould (alto sax), Tom Ollendorf (guitar), Rod Oughton (drums), Àánú Sodipe (violin) and Matt Robinson (piano). In her press release, Tina describes this album as very personal and says something interesting about how this album made her rediscover her true self. The album contains 11 songs and I loved Tina’s warm voice, her songwriting ability and how the pieces are arranged.
I Didn’t Know What Time It Was is the first song of the album and I found the rhythmic contrast between voice and trumpet very interesting and I appreciated Tina’s warm alto vocals. It reminded me of Ella’s warm and profound voice. The relaxing atmosphere of the chorus reminded me of a jazz club in New York.
Duke Ellington’s Sound of Love has a very beautiful introduction with a dreamy trumpet and piano and reminded me of a film soundtrack. I found the trumpet solo very beautiful and interesting too. The third song of the album is Take Me Home. It is a beautiful ballad with nice harmony played by the brass section. I loved the violin, which gave a bluesy touch. This is a very French tune and it brought me to Paris. The trombone solo in this song was very deep and enjoyable.
Ouve o Silêncio features lyrics by Tina. The music is by the Brazilian composer and conductor Cláudio Santoro. The atmosphere created by the guitar and vocals was very enjoyable. In The Crazy Woman, the voice is used like an instrument instead of the brass section at the beginning, in contrast with the rhythm of the strings. The whole band created a nice momentum using crescendos with a free jazz moment at the end. The lyrics are based on the poem by Gwendolyn Brooks, the first African-American to win the Pulitzer Prize for poetry. I Didn’t Know What Time It Was (reprise) has a different arrangement from before but it is a very nice ballad, with a darker and sadder atmosphere.
The ballad Moon over Mildmay, which gives the title to the album, reminds me of Barbara Streisand songs. Tina wrote the lyrics of this song and the instrumental tune is from Love Song from Apache. I found the arrangement of the song A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing brilliant, with a nice intro with drums and voice only. There are also very beautiful bass and guitar solos. The Ass’s Song has a very nice rhythm at the beginning and is similar to a song from a musical. It is very evocative and contains different moments. I enjoyed the lyrics of Make Our Garden Grow. I found this song very nice, profound and poetic, with a beautiful melody. The last song, I Get Along Without You Very Well, is a cover of a famous piece. Tina sings it very beautifully and with a very warm and expressive voice. It is interesting choice of arrangement for this song with just piano and vocals.
Photo by Tatiana Gorilovsky
I found this album perfect to dream and go into another reality. The arrangements are very beautiful, with lots of variety and different combinations of instruments and I liked the different timbres and images created throughout the album and Tina’s warm voice. I cannot wait to see it performed live because I know it will be even more magical.
Released March 6, 2026: Available on CD and Vinyl here
Tina Carr vocals, Matt Robinson piano, music director, Aanu Sodipe violin, Oli Hayhurst double bass, Rod Oughton drums, Tom Ollendorff guitar, Miguel Gorodi trumpet, Sam Newbould alto saxophone and Kieran McLeod trombone.
Mixed by Matt Robinson
Recorded at Eastcote Studios, London , February 2025
Sound engineer , Gavin Dean
Mastered by Caspar Sutton-Jones at Gearbox Studios
Artwork and cover Nick Bromage at Syndicut
Produced by Tina’s Yard 2025
Last modified: May 30, 2026
