Al Sunny – “Summer End”
And so now it’s official: summer is over. Al Sunny, singer/songwriter from Nimes in France, released his third album “Summer End” last month. The album is available on vinyl too on the credible and trustworthy Légère Recordings. One of the most striking features of the album is its immensely lush and sophisticated production work. The album was recorded at the home studio of Al’s keyboardist Florian Pellissier with the help of Loïs Eichelbrenner. Mixing and mastering duties at Question de Son Studio in Paris were done by Jordan Kouby and Mickael Rangeard. And so the opener “Why” introduces an eight-track album full of svelte orchestrations and really stylish vocals, reminiscent maybe of Benny Sings or Tom Misch. First single “Goodbye” offers this wonderful mix of letting-go and hopefulness. I also dig the 80s-sounding handclaps and full falsetto vocals on “So Lonely”, a veritable soul/disco stomper with a splendid hook and some crucial vocals (“You’re always on time/Then call me at night”).
More intimate and sincere lyrics grace the very cool “Drinking Too Much” which boasts with fancy keys and wonderful backing vocals (“And I’m sorry my demons have been knocking on my door”). Al drops the tempo for the incredibly soothing and swaying ballad “Take Your Time” where he urges us to “take your time, like a river, let it flow”. Thank you for that! There is this wonderful, summery vibe on “My Love”, complete with a soulful and jazzy guitar solo. It can’t get any more laid-back and groovy than this. Or maybe it can. The title track opens with uber-cool keys and also features some tremendously vibrant bass lines, all adding up to some memorable subtlety which is much too rare these days. “Feeling’s Gone Away” is the track which reminds me of the still highly resonating “Million Miles Away” from his last album “Planets” from 2019 (which received five paws from Gina) although the vibe somehow shatters a bit towards the end of the song. There are also two acoustic versions which are not on the vinyl edition: on both “Goodbye” and the guitart-led “Summer End”, we get another proof of the songwriting and singing prowess of Al Sunny. Highly recommended!
