Carol C presenting the visuals for her new single, ‘All My Love’
Carol Cβs songwriting is a beguiling mix of paradoxes: conflicted then empowered, haunted then optimistic. The New York City native named her first solo album Sevenβ co-written with producer Justin Filmer (Liquid Agents) after the number of years it took to translate her recent life journey into a transcendent narrative. βAll My Love,β the first single off Seven is both spacious and ethereal. Dream pop? Yes, indeed, her songs are gorgeous, blissed-out reveries that give glimpses into a fantastic parallel world. Avant-soul? Listen to how she caresses her melodies, and marvel at the amount of emotion sheβs able to bring to the simplest phrases. Tropical rhythms? A warm Caribbean wind has always blown through her mixes. Sheβs a skilled hand at digital soundscaping, too β her electronic experimentation might not be flashy, but itβs fearless nevertheless. The New York City-based DJ, party promoter, singer, songwriter, and sonic pioneer alchemizes all of these elements effortlessly. Sheβs the walking embodiment of a βchillβ playlist; time and again, she demonstrates that sheβs still far ahead of the pack.
Carol C has been a force in NYC pop for some time (βa modern-day Elysian goddess,β in the words of CMJ) and itβs hard to believe that sheβs never released a solo album before. Seven, the first set released under her own name, extends the musical ideas β and the cosmopolitan vibes β of her adventurous work with Si*SΓ©, the acclaimed group sheβs fronted since the turn of the millennium. It also radiates the playful sophistication of Carol Cβs DJ sets. Sheβs learned something from every collaboration sheβs ever done β sheβs worked with some heavyweights, including David Byrne, Thievery Corporation, King Britt, Nickodemus, and many others β and sheβs applying all of those lessons here.
The sultry βAll My Loveβ bears the stamp of the many talented people whoβve helped Carol C bring this vision to life, including producer and mixing engineer, Mario McNulty (Prince, David Bowie) and mastering engineer, Bob Power (De La Soul, Erykah Badu). But mostly, itβs a showcase for the singer herself, who makes every syllable count, and who beckons the listener deeper into the groove with every measure.
New York has been very good to Carol C, and sheβs happy to shine some of that love back on her city. The Navegante-directed video for βAll My Loveβ is, among other things, a deep appreciation of the city that only a long-time resident would make: there are shots of the Empire State Building, but also images of the Domino Factory on the East River, Orchard Street on the busy Lower East Side, and kids playing in the spray of a hydrant. Itβs all quintessentially New York, right down to the graffiti that, thanks to animator Maryam Parwana, pulses with life. When Carol C sings, everything dances.
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