MINT JAMS- CASIOPEA
Mint Jams is one of those albums that you cannot possibly be sad while listening to. It just oozes joy and energy in the most infectious way. Every musician is just so insanely talented that makes me so jealous, but at the same time grateful that this particular group of people got together and decided that they all meshed well enough that they'd make some of the best jazz-fusion the world has ever seen. Personally, my favorite instrument to pick out in the songs of this album is the bass. Typically I'm partial to music with lyrics, although of course it depends on the situation, but Casiopea just blows me away and out of my chair. This album is super cohesive without the songs blending together. There's a wide variety of tempos, prominent instruments, and styles of song, but they all give off the same vibe. If you're the kind of person (like me) to latch onto 1 song and think "wow, this song is so great, if only I could find an entire album worth of songs that feel exactly like it without sounding identical" then this is a great album to listen to. This album has me grooving the entire time. Even if you think "meh, jazz isn't really my thing", I implore you to give this a listen. Please please please, do it for me. My favorite song off of this album is Asayake. Because this genre isn't my go-to for daily listening none of the songs on this album made it onto my daily-shuffle, HOWEVER, this entire album is on my big jazz-fusion playlist, so that has to count for something. This album is a 9.5/10 from me. There isn't a single song I dislike, it had me grooving for all 36 minutes of runtime, and the talent and artistry from all of the musicians is just so awe-inspiring that I can't bring myself to rate it any lower. Listen to this album.
