Myles Sanko
Memories Of Love
Légère Recordings
Buy Here | Listen Below
Myles Sanko’s fourth studio album finds the Ghana-born, Cambridge-bred Brit soul singer moving in a slightly different direction. His previous albums have trodden a familiar path, musically, with shuffling backbeats the order of the day. Although this new album finds the same modern pop-soul hybrid within it, the real interest is sparked when jazzy piano chords and sparser arrangements take root.
Released in 2016, his previous album Just Being Me offered a clue as to this new direction. Nestled betwixt the soul stylings lay “Land Of Paradise” with its jazz piano and refreshingly different character. It would seem to offer the signpost to the more successful tracks contained on this album.
Alongside the fine voice of Sanko, the main contributor is Tom O’Grady (from jazz funk band Resolution 88) who co-writes and adds piano to the fray. One of the most refreshing things to note about Sanko is his deep and warming tone. I have nothing against a good falsetto (many of my favorite artists sing in their upper register), but it is reassuring to hear the muscularity of Sanko’s lower tone compared to the prevalence of reed-thin vocals that can sometimes appear to dominate proceedings at the upper end of the charts.
Album opener “Where Do We Stand” is the strongest song on the album. Cello gives way to more extravagant strings, a rimshot propels it forward and his voice sounds commanding while essaying uncertainty about his relationship with his father (“For years I’ve waited out in the dark / Hope my world don’t fall apart / I’ve questioned ‘why’ right from the start / And now I’ve made peace with my heart”).
Add in some powerful backing vocals and a descending piano line and it is a powerful statement of intent that offers some opportunities for the band (with whom he has toured for years) to spread their wings, particularly the jazzy runs of O’Grady.
There are some moments that fail to catch fire though—“Rainbow In Your Cloud” is one such example. It's a perfectly acceptable groove, but it never really goes anywhere and has the kind of lyrics that straddle the “simple/cliché” divide. Where the track shines most is with the piano solo around the halfway mark.
This is emblematic of the album as a whole—when it explores its jazzier tendencies, it is much more successful.
Another highlight is “Never My Friend.” To a simple piano accompaniment, Sanko’s voice sounds better than crowded out by the aforementioned soul backbeat. Pared back, slowed down and given room to breathe, his voice comes into its own and is able to communicate so much more. In occasional moments, he bears a resemblance in tone to Bill Withers and the more chances there are to hear that quality, the more impressive the album sounds.
“In The Morning” is a bright and breezy ode to waking up next to your most loved and has a restrained horn section that, again, offers him the chance to express more with his vocal performance. Similar things can be said about the woozy “Streams Of Time”—Sanko really gets the chance to show his vocal abilities to the fullest and the band stretch out in the second half of the tune with a jazz sensibility that suits everyone a little better.
The final couple of tracks fit neatly in the credit column. Both have the benefit of the same sparser, more relaxed approach to arrangement and instrumentation that allow Sanko’s voice to show a greater variety of hues and moods.
British soul singers are often in an unenviable position. Without a big enough ecosystem of venues, radio stations or print media to support them, they all too often get left by the wayside by a fickle public. In finding the jazzier moments and embracing sparser soundscapes, Sanko is carving a niche for himself that could pay dividends.
Notable Tracks: “Never My Friend” | “Streams Of Time” | “Where Do We Stand”
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