Chok Kerong / Vanessa Fernandez: Spiral
Chok Kerong + Vanessa Fernandez
Spiral
Genre: Jazz pop
Between the two of them, Vanessa Fernandez and Chok Kerong have done it all. As two musical giants with musical careers that have helped mold the Singaporean music scene, this new record synthesizes the work of two artists with vastly distinct musical backgrounds, fusing funk, hip-hop, jazz, R&B and soul. Kerong’s background as a jazz organist, composer and bandleader has seen his arrangements performed by musicians of global stature, with his most recent project seeing him take on the role of music director for Charlie Lim’s inaugural concert with his band The Great Wave. Fernandez, on the other hand, is known for her unique voice, having had stints at radio stations and running mentorship programmes. Amidst a relocation to Australia, Fernandez continues to release neo-soul and electronica as an artist-producer under the name Vandetta. In spite of their respective specialisations, both are musicians at heart, and their first collaborative album, ‘Spiral’, is testament to their artistry.
Singles ‘Cry’ and ‘Don’t You Walk Away’ open the album up with a bang – infectious drum grooves, virtuosic piano solos and soaring vocals greet listeners, setting the stage for a feel-good display of funky technicality. With dulcet depth, Fernandez’s vocals cut through the former track’s rich instrumentation with ease, striking a keen balance that allows both the arrangement’s intricacies to shine alongside Fernandez’s spotlighted voice, enmeshed with weish’s signature vocal tone. ‘Don’t You Walk Away’, on the other hand, is a display of restraint in all the right instances, with its sharp keyboard hits highlighting the song’s harmonic changes, all glued together by catchy bass lines and vocal melodies.
The music that follows these two singles, however, is bound to surprise, deviating greatly from the sleek funk of the first two cuts. On ‘When You Do’ and ‘Love Will Let Us Go’, the album takes a mellow turn – with Kerong’s playing given time in the limelight, his piano improvisations bloom into life, as lush instrumentation, light percussion and emotive vocals take over from the record’s previously groove-centric action. Amidst its calm atmospheres (’Meditation’), Fernandez’s vocals retain a newfound delicacy across the project, culminating in a dazzling display of skill in ‘Who Deserves Your Love’, which sees her voice effortlessly navigating graceful riffing and belted high notes. The album’s story of love, loss and learning might not be what listeners immediately pick up on, but there is wisdom found in the lyrics. The lyrics ring like advice and teachings from an elder, comforting and imparting insight onto its audience. Fernandez’s crooning tugs at the heartstrings - In ‘Love Will Let Us Go’, she soothes with the lyrics “Wherever you are, I’m here/don’t be afraid to call”, and showcases acute vulnerability in ‘Underwater’; ‘And I don’t know what to do, sinking deeper, but I’m swimming back to you’. The message conveyed by Kerong and Fernandez is clear in ‘Spiral’: you are not alone.
An extremely versatile, genre-traversing record fit for lovers of jazz and neo-soul, ‘Spiral’ embodies Kerong and Fernandez’s musical hearts, fusing the vocal stylings of R&B singers like Yebba with Jacob Collier-esque arrangements and instrumentation. While a brilliant display of technicality, its liveliness and its profound lyricism keep things accessible, and are sure to delight any musician who appreciates technicality and virtuosity. The heart behind ‘Spiral’ is most evident in the music, and the collaborative album is a testament to what Singaporean musicians are capable of.
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