Downbeats 71st annual Critics Poll has named Cécile McLorin Salvant as the Top Vocalist of the Year and Charles Loyd as part of their Hall of Fame.
Cécile McLorin Salvant, is a composer, singer, and visual artist. The late Jessye Norman described Salvant as“a unique voice supported by an intelligence and full-fledged musicality, which light up every note she sings”. Her new album, Mélusine, is a mix of originals and interpretations of songs dating as far back as the 12th century, mostly sung in French along with Occitan, English, and Haitian Kreyòl. They tell the folk tale of Mélusine, a woman who turns into a half-snake each Saturday after a childhood curse by her mother.
Charles Lloyd, now in his eighth decade, has never sounded better. The depth of his sound reflects a lifetime of experience. A Memphis Music Hall of Fame inductee, and recipient of the prestigious Chevalier des Arts et Lettre from the French Minister of culture, Lloyd has a legendary history in the music world, and could certainly be in a position to slow down and rest on his laurels. But he keeps shifting to a higher, well calibrated gear.