Michele Thomas: “The Assumption” (2022) CD Review

Since the 2016 election, this country has been quickly sliding backward into troubles we’d hoped were firmly in the past. Things are bad for anyone with a soul, but particularly for women, as was made perfectly clear this week when a terrible Supreme Court decision was leaked to the press. Are decades of progress going to be wiped out by a court deliberately stacked with right-wing nuts? It looks like it. And though most people are exhausted after four years of a racist regime and two years of a pandemic, we are going to have to enter the fray once more. It’s a good thing we have music on our side. Michele Thomas is a soulful jazz vocalist and songwriter based in Chicago. On her new album, The Assumption, she offers a good selection of covers, as well as some excellent original material that reaches out to us in these troubled times, dealing with racism and loss. The first line she sings on her new album sets the tone, “I ain’t gonna let nobody mess with my soul no more, no more.” A joyful defiance is just what is needed these days, and that is exactly what we hear in her voice. In addition to the vocals, Michele Thomas plays keyboards and percussion. Joining her on this release are Clark Summers on bass, Chris Mahieu on piano and organ, Neil Alger on guitar, and Darren Scorza on drums and keyboards, along with a few guests on various tracks.

The album opens with “No More,” which was written by Hubert Laws and Jon Hendricks, and included on Jon Hendricks’ Tell Me The Truth LP (it was also earlier released as a single). This track has a delicious groove, with some nice work from the brass section of Jeff Hedberg on trumpet and Chris Greene on saxophone. But perhaps most importantly, its lyrics feel empowering, which folks are going to need in the coming days and weeks: “I ain’t gonna be the kind that won’t make a scene no more, no more.” Michele Thomas delivers a passionate vocal performance. This track also features some good work on both keys and guitar. That’s followed by a cover of “Love Dance,” a more relaxed, romantic number written by Ivan Lins, Gilson Peranzzetta and Vitor Martins. I really like what Michele Thomas does with this song. There is a soulful presence guiding the track’s progress. I also like the loose feel on the drums. And there is a good lead on guitar followed by a wonderful piano lead. Both the guitar and piano leads have a sense of freedom, of being relaxed and letting the music flow naturally.

Then we get into the original material, beginning with “I Know Because You Told Me So,” which Michele Thomas wrote with Damian Espinosa. This one finds her in a more cheerful mood, which we hear in the scat at the beginning of the track. Here is a taste of the lyrics: “Maybe I’m dumb and blind/Of the lines between the acts of true self-love or self-adulation/Too long on the other side of that wall/I’ve been in my chamber of self-depreciation.” It feels designed to raise our spirits. Her spirits too seem to have been raised, for she even laughs at one point toward the end. Jeff Hedberg and Chris Greene return on trumpet and saxophone respectively. That’s followed by “These Days,” another original composition. As this one begins, there is some chatter, like we’ve entered a room that is busy with activity. That soon fades as the song begins. Was that a memory? Are those people gone? “And realize these days are so much shorter/Since you’ve been gone/But I’m standing much taller/Than I had before/Who knew that your shoulders stayed beneath my feet all along.” It is a song of gentle perseverance.

“Plot And Stone” is another original song, this one also dealing with loss, but an older loss. It begins at a cemetery, then takes us back into memory. “I remember from the armchair of the living room/You bellowed your decree/The final act of a dying man/Letting go of what couldn’t be/Feeble, angry words filled the room from wall to wall.” And check out these lines: “Now I can’t find you here/It’s just a plot and stone/But even though you’ve gone away/You couldn’t leave me alone.” The idea of standing at a grave site and not being able to find the person is heartbreaking, but we also begin to wonder about the relationship and the pain of the past. It is a strong and moving vocal performance, and when it seems she needs to pause to collect herself, the guitar takes over, speaking for her, or perhaps to her. That’s followed by “Dark,” one of the strongest, most powerful tracks. It features a phenomenal vocal performance and excellent lyrics, addressing racism. “You don’t understand the dark/Because of your greed for the light/But you’re blind to the light/Because your heart is so cold.”  

Michele Thomas begins her rendition of “Spiral” with some scat. This is a tune written by John Coltrane, with lyrics added by Michele Thomas. This track provides a chance for the musicians to shine in that great instrumental section. There is even a good lead on bass. That’s followed by a gorgeous cover of “Autumn Nocturne,” taking us back to a different time, a more romantic time. “Still I’ll remember last September/You and I said goodbye/Whispering that we would be returning when/Autumn comes again.” There are some strikingly beautiful moments. Close your eyes and find yourself in a different time. Then “I Carry” is a song written by Damian Espinosa, adapted from a poem by E.E. Cummings. It features Chris Greene on saxophone and David Youngs on backing vocals.

Michele Thomas turns playful with a good rendition of “Nobody Else But Me” that gently swings. “I have my faults/He likes my faults.” Those lines always make me laugh. She delivers a bit of scat in the second half. This track also features an excellent lead on guitar. The album concludes with a cover of Blind Faith’s “Can’t Find My Way Home,” written by Steve Winwood. The first time I heard this song, back when I was a kid, I thought it was kind of funny, the idea of a guy who is so wasted that he can’t find his way home. But over the years, this song has become sadder and sadder to me, and I get the sense this person might never find his or her way home, that it’s more a permanent state than a temporary one, that in fact, that home may no longer be there for him anyway. This rendition has a lively rhythm and features some wonderful work on guitar.

CD Track List

1. No More
2. Love dance
3. I Know Because You Told Me So
4. These Days
5. Plot And Stone
6. Dark
7. Spiral
8. Autumn Nocturne
9. I Carry
10. Nobody Else But Me
11. Can’t Find My Way Home

The Assumption was released on March 25, 2022.