Written by Louis Pelingen
Ever since 2021, Project Yazz has been best described as a band whose joy in making music comes from freewheeling expression, with varying instrumentalists who play around from time to time. Vocalist Faye Yupano and bassist Burgan Nunez, the mainstays in the project, never stay in a fixed atmosphere, thematic approach, and cast of players, as they are always shifting around with ease. Despite that, one aspect always continues to stay around in their music: warmth.
This year, the band steps up in imbuing that warmth in lusher soundscapes. “Haraya” evokes that firsthand, yet the following single, “Ningning”, takes it up a notch. Faye Yupano’s vocals gracefully express a wistful longing under the glinting presence of the stars, a gentle emotion amplified further with supple arrangements with crisp grooves and gleaming brass swells that continue to gradually ramp up.
However, this cascade of potent ideas never reaches its transcendent state, where the production does not fully expose the wells of yearning that Faye Yupano embodies in the song, and the expanded arrangements don’t allow their rich textures to be heard. Instead, it feels distant, constantly on the cusp of reaching a stirring resolution, yet it never truly gets there.
As it stands, “Ningning” becomes a fascinating growth and challenge for Project Yazz, as they are willing to experiment with their warm tones in grander escapades. Succeeding in placing down this tender desire that’s as simple as it is evocative, yet it doesn’t flourish the way it should. It might result in the song whose resonance becomes wishful thinking under the starry night, yet even then, it sparkles just enough to see how it could have shined brighter.
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