Speak to Me (Julian Lage album)

Speak to Me
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 1, 2024 (2024-03-01)
GenreJazz
Length59:48
LabelBlue Note
ProducerJoe Henry
Julian Lage chronology
The Layers
(2023)
Speak to Me
(2024)
Scenes from Above
(2026)

Speak to Me is a studio album by American jazz guitarist Julian Lage, released on March 1, 2024, through Blue Note Records. It received acclaim from critics.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic91/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Uncut8/10[3]

Speak to Me received a score of 91 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on four critics' reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[1] Uncut felt that Lage "also plays an agreeably skronky, Jeff Beck-style electric on several tracks, but it's when unplugged that [he] is at his most extraordinary".[3] Timothy Monger of AllMusic wrote that the album "takes a more varied approach with lyrical arrangements that expand and contract depending on the songs' needs. It also features some of the most relaxed and inspired playing of his career."[2]

Doug Collette of Glide Magazine stated that Lage "appears here in a variety of settings, each instance of expansive exploration clarifying the broad overall approach Henry helped bring to fruition".[4] Spin's Steve Hochman opined that "the pieces are compact, tight, engaging, and, indeed, in many ways song-like. Some are sparklingly electric, some dazzlingly acoustic, some fairly straight [...] But as impressive as his prodigious skills may be, more so is the range of expression and emotion in the playing."[5]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Julian Lage.

No.TitleLength
1."Hymnal"2:22
2."Northern Shuffle"6:05
3."Omission"3:26
4."Serenade"5:19
5."Myself Around You"5:59
6."South Mountain"5:14
7."Speak to Me"4:15
8."Two and One"4:19
9."Vanishing Points"4:26
10."Tiburon"4:25
11."As It Were"5:07
12."76"4:37
13."Nothing Happens Here"4:14
Total length:59:48

Personnel

Musicians

Technical

Charts

Chart performance for Speak to Me
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Croatian International Albums (HDU)[6] 21

References

  1. ^ a b "Speak to Me by Julian Lage Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Monger, Timothy. "Speak to Me – Julian Lage Album Review". AllMusic. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Julian Lage – Speak to Me". Uncut. April 2024. p. 38.
  4. ^ Collette, Doug (February 29, 2024). "Julian Lage Balances Intimate Tone & Vast Musical Exploration With Speak to Me (Album Review)". Glide Magazine. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  5. ^ Hochman, Steve (March 8, 2024). "Jazz-Guitar Phenom Julian Lage Forges His Own Paths on Speak to Me". Spin. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  6. ^ "Lista prodaje 11. tjedan 2024" (in Croatian). HDU. March 4, 2024. Archived from the original on March 22, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2024.