Between 1971 and 1993,
David Crosby released three solo albums. Between 2014 and 2018,
Crosby released four, with the three following 2014's
Croz recorded in conjunction with
Michael League, the impresario behind the adventurous jazzbos
Snarky Puppy. Along with
League,
Crosby collaborated with
Michelle Willis and
Becca Stevens in a group that became informally known as the "Lighthouse Band," as this collective was first debuted on the 2016 album
Lighthouse.
Here If You Listen is the third in this series, following 2017's
Sky Trails by a year, and while it certainly the work of the same group, it feels distinctly different than its predecessors. Chalk that up to the Lighthouse Band interacting like a band here, collaborating on the writing and trading off lead vocals as they glide into lush, shimmering harmonies.
Here If You Listen flows elegantly, as it's not only the individual voices that mesh: it's the individual styles as well. This means the album isn't quite as melancholy or meditative as
Lighthouse, even with explicit mentions to Buddhism and
Crosby contemplating "I've been thinking about dying/How to do it well" on "Your Own Ride."
Crosby may have mortality on his mind but he's consumed with life, particularly the life that
League,
Willis, and
Stevens give him. There's a palpable sense of joy to
Here If You Listen, an emotion that's evident in the harmonies but also in the liquid, quicksilver transitions between open-string drones, jazz changes, and even trace hints of funk. At its best, which it often is,
Here If You Listen plays like a hybrid of
Steely Dan,
Joni Mitchell, and
CSN, a combination that is soothing and surprising in equal measure. It's an album that confirms
Crosby is at an unexpected and satisfying latter-day creative peak. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
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