Can’t Let This Vibration Go

J.Lamotta “If You Wanna”

J.Lamotta Suzume has a lovely and expressive voice, but her more compelling talent is in her skill as a composer and producer. “If You Wanna” is a remarkably graceful neo-soul number arranged and recorded with a slickness on par with what Steely Dan and Gary Katz got up to at the end of the 70s, or where D’Angelo was at around Voodoo. The record is extra dry but mixed so everything has incredible presence, particularly the drums and electric piano. The crispness of the snare hits contrast with the softness of Suzume’s voice and the swoon-y quality of the horns. It’s not just that this is a luxurious and sensual sound, but that it’s such a perfect articulation of an overwhelmingly sweet feeling. You hear this and just end up with a lovey-dovey contact high.

Buy it from Bandcamp.