Sacha Mullin is a singer-songwriter hailing from Chicago, recognized for his captivating and emotive singing style, an expansive vocal range, and his ability to craft jazzy, intense, and ethereal compositions. Sacha is a frequent collaborator, having shared the stage with a diverse range of artists, including Bobby McFerrin, Dead Rider, Jeanne Arland & Patty Peterson, and so much more. In his latest album, “Casino Wilderness Period”, he brings his trademark sound to the table to create something rather very special. Keep reading for my thoughts!
I will do this review a little differently from how I break down every track; consider it an ode to Sacha’s style, but in reality, I would be remiss if I did this any other way. From the opener, “Arranging Flowers”, we’re taken to a whole other style and world of writing and performing; fun elements of arcade machine sounds in the background, coins jingling slowly morph into a painting; the brushstrokes Sacha’s vocals and the colour palette the instrumentation.
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Initially laid back and relaxing, the song hits you with energy sooner than you see it coming; a nice element of experimentation and unpredictability rings proud through the song, with Sacha effortlessly scaling (if you will forgive the pun) the entirety of his vocal range. The only way you can see the energy change happening is by listening closelier to the drumming; as the second part of the song brings a showcase of the finest jazz drumming I’ve heard in a while; with the choirs in the background adding to the element here.
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Almost as if to offer the listener some relaxation from the blast of energy in the first song, the second, “Waves” brings the energy back.. in, well, waves. There’s a good bit of harmonies going on here, with the energy steadily picking back up, wave after wave– until it all culminates in, you guessed it, another stellar display of vocals laid atop an absolutely mind-boggling drum line towards the latter part of the song. There is an impressive display of versatility and musicianship in the whole of the song– and that, indeed, applies to the album as a whole, as I bite my tongue, almost calling “Casino Wilderness Period” a masterpiece every third sentence.
The furore continues with the special mentions from this album: “Thanks.”, “Margaret”, and “Telepathy”– especially the third; a welcome switch-up into a primarily blues-like sound, making it ever so clear to the listener just the kind of versatile songwriter Sacha is. As we close out the album with “Window Out”, a piano-heavy ballad with a lot of angelic vocals that waft all around the sphere, I cannot help but liken this album to some of Hozier’s groundbreaking work, especially on his 2014 sensation, “Foreigner’s God”; and that, dear reader, is a very, very good thing.
“Casino Wilderness Period” gets a two-thumbs up, it is every single bit deserved; and I cannot wait to see what Sacha Mullin has in store for us. Make sure to keep an eye out, and check out the album here:
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