Ryan Keberle’s ‘The Hope I Hold’ gets a Hot Box review in Downbeat
The Hope I Hold by Ryan Keberle & Catharsis receives the Hot Box treatment in this month’s Downbeat Magazine.
In his full review, John McDonough says, “Keberle’s lyrical precision and Meza’s voice steer through mirror-image crosscurrents and conjunctions.”
The three Hot Box are equally kind. Giovanni Russonello:
“Each instrument here maintains its own grain and its own fit within the pocket. And thank goodness for that sense of amalgamated looseness. With Catharsis, Keberle always seems to be hinting at something dangerous, maybe the danger of getting lost. This time, swimming in more colors, the music really starts to go there.”
Ammar Kalia:
“A beautifully optimistic selection of compositions from Keberle accompanied by Meza’s soaring vocals. Highlights come on the opening suite and closing track, using a Langston Hughes poem as an incisive counterpoint to Trump’s shortsighted sloganeering.”
James Hale:
“Musical polemics never have held much attraction for me, but Meza puts Keberle’s lyrics across so sweetly that the punch comes swathed in silk. The pair’s connection creates a shimmering contracts to the tougher elements beneath.”
Downbeat subscribers can read the full review here and the Hot Box review here. The album is available for purchase on Bandcamp and iTunes.
