Artist: Arnab Sengupta: Vocals, backing vocals, guitars, keyboards/piano, songwriting, composition and arrangements; and Andrija Gavrilovic: Horns and brass, arrangements, trumpets and saxophone
Album: ‘Leap of Faith;’ Released: January 14, 2022; Zak Karoli: Vocal recording and mixing and mastering at Love Hz studios, Sydney; Sengupta: Producer
Sharing the timeless wisdom they’ve acquired during their unique life experiences is a powerful way for musicians to connect with their listeners. That’s certainly the case for jazz singer-songwriter Arnab Sengupta, as he unveils his personal insights on his recently released third soul album, ‘Leap of Faith.’ As a result, the multi-instrumentalist continued developing his revelatory, meditative signature sound as he leaned into the ultimate truth in life.
The hypnotic eight-track record emphasizes Sengupta’s uplifting message of embracing life’s journey by interweaving blues, world, classical and experimental vocals and instrumentals on his songs, on which he collaborated with a range of masterful guest musicians. The eclectic instrumentals, which range from guitars, the piano and horns, support his evocative vocals that croon innovative, harmonically sophisticated lyricism.
Driven by smooth saxophones and horns that are similar to the sound of the iconic playing of Kenny G and funky vocalization that pays homage to Jamiroqui, Sengupta’s serene bohemian sound throughout ‘Leap of Faith’ reflects his boundary-breaking songwriting approach. He reveals his inner journey of self-discovery and self-expansion as he sets out to find the ultimate truth and meaning of life throughout all eight tunes on his latest album.
‘Leap of Faith’ begins with its innovative soul-jazz opening entry, ‘Face in the Crowd.’ The uptempo, feel good track features several guest musicians, including singer-songwriter Anshu Jha, bassist Elin Sandberg and drummer Matias Menarguez. Throughout the tune’s inspirational narrative, Sengupta and Jha croon about the importance of finding themselves in, and standing out from, the crowd.
‘Face in the Crowd’ then delves into ‘Leap of Faith’s sophomore entry, ‘This Way.’ Ultimately proves to be one of the best tracks on the record, Sengupta emphasizes that everyone’s equal, despite their differences. Joined by Sandberg on bass, Menarguez on drums and Andrija Gavrilovic on the trumpet and saxophone, the singer-songwriter shares that after realizing that he doesn’t want to live with lies anymore, he’s finally found an honest way to pursue his dreams.
‘This Way’ is succeeded by the album’s third entry, ‘Alone but Not Lonely,’ on which Sengupta leans into and embraces life’s most hypnotic, flowing and uplifting truths. He encourages his listeners to let their soul be their guide as they try to find their way home. The musician’s peaceful vocals are supported by his meditative, soulful acoustic guitar strumming.
Another stellar entry on ‘Leap of Faith’ is its title track, which is also the record’s first single. The song, which features Sonu Sangameswaran on bass, Patrick Simard on drums and Scott Allen on lead guitars, encourages its listeners to hold onto their hope as they try to find their way in life again.
The album ends with its eighth entry, the soulful jazz ‘Set in Stone,’ which features Yoshiki Yamada on bass and Bruno Werner on drums. Sengupta croons about how when people work hard, their dreams can come true, and their fates aren’t always set in stone. He points out that while people may feel as though they’re currently living in difficult times, things will turn around.
Sengupta powerfully shares the timeless wisdom he’s acquired during his unique life experiences on his recently released third jazz record. As a result, the singer-songwriter-instrumentalist continued developing his revelatory, meditative signature sound as he leaned into the ultimate truth in life throughout the eight tunes on ‘Leap of Faith.’
The soothing record further emphasizes Sengupta’s uplifting message by interweaving blues, world, classical and experimental vocals and instrumentals, and collaborating with a range of masterful guest musicians. The eclectic instrumentals support his evocative vocals that croon innovative, harmonically sophisticated lyricism and reveals his journey of self-discovery as he sets out to find the ultimate meaning of life.
For more information on Sengupta, visit his Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp, Soundcloud, YouTube , Facebook and Instagram pages.
