Johanna Samuels – Excelsior!

Johanna Samuels’s latest release, Excelsior!, makes good on its promise. Johanna’s previous releases have all sparkled with her brilliant harmonies and clever lyrics, and Excelsior continues Johanna’s musical trajectory, ever upward. Samuels recorded the album at Sam Evian’s studio near Woodstock, with Evian producing; vocal contributions by Courtney Marie Andrews, Hannah Cohen, Olivia Kaplan, and more; and Samuels’s band including Harrison Whitford (guitars), Garret Lang (bass), and Sean Mullins (drums). The album exudes the warmth of a highly collaborative, friendship-inspired series of sessions, intentional on Samuels’s part.

The album’s minimalistic opener, “Sonny,” showcases Johanna’s charmingly perfectly-pitched-yet-approachable vocals. “Nature’s Way” and “All is Fine” are fabulous indie-pop gems, while slow-dance-worthy ballad “The Middle” oozes romance and reflection. The arresting “High Tide for One,” takes a serious turn, addressing current events with a resonant lap steel line and Samuels on Rhodes (the song is about Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony against Brett Kavanaugh). “Julie” is another standout, a complicated love song for Samuels’s mother . “Less of You” has one of the most delicate, catchy guitar riffs since Cass McCombs’s playing on Tip of the Sphere.

The closing song is a painful beauty, simply Samuels’s heart-rending lyrics and piano painting a picture of “Cathy.” A song for a friend lost to suicide, the song is a touching reminder to remember and celebrate the best parts of them – not just the hard parts. It’s also a song of acceptance – “You don’t have to linger… I can feel you linger, you are free”. In a collection of stunning songs, this is truly the masterpiece, the kind of song you feel in your gut.

Excelsior is out now on Mama Bird Recording Co. Get it on Bandcamp!