Phil Lentz tells a story with “Play Your Melody.” Included in “Phil Lentz Presents… Vol. II,” the New York City jazz pianist and composer makes a genre-defying statement that combines classical, jazz, and pop into a cinematic ballad that is as intimate as it is visionary.
“Play Your Melody” is moody, hypnotic, and romantically rich in texture and sentiment. The cut opens with a wistful image of a fiddler busking on the street, playing music that voices the dreams of the human spirit. Red Heller’s voice conveys this precisely, tracing a path of dark, breathy pop that will hang on as you breathe in. Each line feels like a brushstroke on the canvas of Lentz’s piano.
And then there’s Bob Cohen, whose violin is the heart of the track, haunting, romantic, and impossible to forget. His playing is his own voice, whispering secrets from the shadows as it flits between the verses. “Play Your Melody” is an anomaly even on an album full of standout moments. Vol. II is the follow-up to Lentz’s 2022 debut, a continuation of his journey as an artist.
This project leans harder into that genre-treading ambition, jazz flirting with folk, classical rubbing elbows with pop, resulting in a body of work that feels like it’s made for both concert halls and rainy nights with headphones on. A crack team of musicians, featuring Dennis Harte (guitar), Wolfgang Lugomarsini (bass), and Dave Young (drums), performs the single, which thrives on lush instrumentation and fuzzy, friendly production, provided by Dennis Harte and mastering by Tom Hutten.
Connect with Phil Lentz on Instagram – @palcrawford
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