As a whole, the world has slowly lost the sweet, melancholy sounds of jazz. As time passes, we are seeing a new wave of the past coming back. Musicians like Laufey are on the leading frontlines of this musical time machine.
The highly anticipated sophomore album “Bewitched” by Laufey was released September 8, 2023. Laufey is an up-and-coming contemporary jazz-pop artist that has been increasing in popularity within only a few months. Songs like “From The Start” and “Falling Behind” have been the trend-setter in her recent attention, with “From The Start” reaching 108,320,168 streams on Spotify and “Falling Behind” reaching 39,897,694 streams.
The cover picture of the album visually gives you the vibe of the whole album. It shows Laufey laying on carpet in a sparkly silver outfit. It gives off a major vintage vibe which accurately depicts the old sound of the album.
The album “Bewitched” is nothing short of a masterpiece. The beautiful layering and harmonies bring the songs to a whole new level. Laufey has the voice and tone of an older jazz singer, styles like Lesley Gore and Brenda Lee but with lots of modern influence. She achieves that flexible and powerful tone that many of the greats have done before. I found myself physically swaying while listening to this album because it just takes your ears on a heavenly journey.
The opener song, “Dreamer”, begins with the old style of the ever so slightly dissonate chords through layering of vocals. It transported me back into my great-grandparent’s car listening to their jazz CDs. The quieter hums in the background of this song really caught my attention while listening. The instrumental cuts that follow her singing rhythm really emphasize those moments in the song and create a pleasant texture to the music. The simple use of brushes on a drum set are a great addition to the overall composition of the song. If you would have told me this song came out in the 60s, I would believe it.
My personal favorite on the album “California and Me” is still hitting the jazzy tones but this song is heavy in classical undertones. The Philharmonia Orchestra accompanies Laufey on this track. This song is a heart wrenching story about being left behind by someone you love. The piano composition is beautifully written, the melody and rhythm are enticing. This song was one of the singles released before the album was released and it got me unbelievably excited to listen to the whole thing. I knew it was going to be my favorite right off the bat.
“Nocturne” is a song that is worth the listen. The word nocturne deals with a piece of art that is romantic or dreamy and usually suggests a nighttime setting. “Nocturne” on this album is a continuation of the piano score of “California and Me” which made me absolutely fall in love with it. You can still feel the intensity of the emotions from “California and Me” without hearing the lyrics. This is an absolutely delightful piano solo.
Sandwiched between “Dreamer” and the closer are many more genius songs that Laufey has created. As for lyrics, most of them are talking about falling in love, being in love, or falling out of love except for “Letter to My 13-Year-Old Self” and the “Nocturne”. Typically, you might find this sort of music to be repetitive and, eventually, boring and mundane. I can honestly say that despite a lot of the songs having similar themes, they are all incredibly intricate and showcase Laufey’s musicianship.
This whole album is exactly what I think needed to hit the music industry.
“Bewitched” by Laufey is the perfect moody modern jazz-pop for all of your lovey-dovey and melancholy emotions. I absolutely cannot wait to see what else Laufey puts out into the music industry. I’m giving it a 5/5 stars for its beautiful artistry and heart-warming vocals.
