A Better Place is a new jazz album from trumpeter, singer and producer, David Longoria. As the title implies, the release aims to inject a sense of optimism and positivity into what has been considered a rather dreary year for most. This ambitious project manages to lift one’s spirits almost immediately with the opening track, Make The World A Better Place, which already has amassed more than 300,000 plays on Spotify. Backed by exquisite piano (Rique Pantoja), upright bass (Maciej Sadowski), light drums (Tony Jones) and a mellow ambiance, Longoria’s vocals are brimming with hopeful sincerity. He has a classic, personable delivery style that’s reminiscent of the great lounge singers. His voice is delicate and personable yet also bold and reassuring, as he makes a plea for unity and understanding in our world. The song also contains an artfully spectacular trumpet solo, where David offers a glimpse of his true musical power level.

Don’t Let Another Mother Cry is a jazz ballad that touches upon the subject of street violence in the city of Chicago. With vivid expressions of empathy, it’s a heartfelt appeal for us to respect the value of human life. The piano melody has a haunting, Johnny Mathis-like quality to it, while a mournful trumpet intro sets the tone for a sober and fresh idealism. Summertime (a contemporary version of the iconic George Gershwin song) is another notable track, as it features the supremely pristine vocals of neosoul recording artist, Promise Marks. It captures the carefree “summertime” spirit of youth and reminds us to appreciate the joyful possibilities of life that lie ahead, as well as those in the here and now. One of my personal favorite jams on this release is Terra Pax, which has a worldly and avant-garde framework. The introductory atmosphere is almost futuristic, with classic Star Trek-inspired vision for humanity and mother Earth that takes on a jazz form. It’s really quite innovative.

All of the songs on this album are extremely professional. It can be somewhat difficult to review music from artists who are this experienced and whose talents are this refined, because it is almost self-evident how good the music is just by briefly listening to a few snippets. However, it must be stated that this album is laudable not just on a technical level, but it also spiritually therapeutic and emotionally satisfying. In these turbulent times, A Better Place will definitely give you some perspective, calm your immediate anxieties and get you thinking about the world in more optimistic terms.

For more info:

website: davidlongoria.com
wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Longoria
twitter: @imdavidlongoria
instagram: @davidlongoria7
facebook: facebook.com/davidlongoriafans