Eyes on the Rise

From the seductive opening bars of ‘Chop It Up,‘ an African rumba-hued acoustic guitar and vocal cut that kicks off Eyes on the Rise, to the dreamy electric tremolo-laden strains of ‘Kulowahed’, the instrumental that concludes the 15-track album, composer-guitarist-singer Cory Seznec guides listeners on a global journey that hits all the right notes and feels. Seznec's first official release following a nearly five-year hiatus, Eyes on the Rise, is a compelling set of lightly adorned performances recorded at engineer Fred Jaillard's studio in central Paris.

With immediacy and poignancy, the music speaks to the self-described ‘uncertified ethnomusicologist’'s Franco-American roots and abiding interest in folk-based melodies, harmonies and rhythms. ‘Rainy Season’ is a beautiful mashup of Malagasy-tinted fingerpicking and Jaillard's silvery pedal-steel intonations. ‘J’ai Marié un Ouvrier’, a Cajun variation on ‘House Carpenter’, imbues the time-worn ballad with renewed joie de vivre. ‘Msichana Auma Variations’ pays tribute to the distinctively swinging music of Kenyan fingerstyle master Herbert Misango. On select tracks, Seznec is expertly accompanied by clarinettist Robby Marshall, vocalist Julia Zech and upright bassist Lucas Henri. Eyes on the Rise is a joyously sublime listening experience.