Weightless

Teotima's second album, released on eclectic label First Word Records, sees the group slim down to a ready-to-tour ensemble. Greg Sanders, musical director and guitarist, has handpicked some of London's top musicians, and through his meticulous, tailor-made compositions, uniquely interprets with them a wide range of trans-Atlantic influences.

In the lead single and first track from the album, ‘Suddenly’, the ensemble introduces you to the project with a bright arrangement of the East African chakacha rhythm. ‘What We Were Waiting For’ crescendos beautifully throughout the song with Ellie Rose Rusbridge's soft vocals transforming into a euphony with the rest of the ensemble. A joyful and novel blend of two distinct styles is found in ‘To Friends’, where Sanders and co mix the north-east Brazilian rhythm ijexá while evoking a South African mbaqanga spirit. There are traces of the pentatonic scale of Ethio-jazz in ‘Cracks’, which also, like the lush reggae track ‘From a Distance’, features mellifluous improvisations that seamlessly weave throughout the record as a whole. At times this album could've done with more rawness – there are moments when it feels a bit too restrained. I'm sure, however, their live shows are something to look forward to.