Vanished Garden
A sepia-toned photo of the musicians leaning against a wall
Studio album by
Charles Lloyd, The Marvels, and Lucinda Williams
ReleasedJune 29, 2018 (2018-06-29)
StudioEast West Studios[1]
GenreJazz
Length73:37
LanguageEnglish
LabelBlue Note
Producer
  • Dorothy Darr
  • Charles Lloyd
  • Don Was
  • Lucinda Williams
Charles Lloyd chronology
Passin' Thru
(2017)		 Vanished Garden
(2018)		 8: Kindred Spirits (Live from the Lobero)
(2020)
Lucinda Williams chronology
This Sweet Old World
(2017)		 Vanished Garden
(2018)		 Good Souls Better Angels
(2020)

Vanished Gardens is a studio album made in collaboration between jazz saxophonist Charles Lloyd, the backing band The Marvels, and roots music singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams, released on June 29, 2018, by Blue Note Records. The album has received positive critical reception.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic80/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Guardian[3]
PopMatters8/10[4]
Rolling Stone[5]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Vanished Gardens received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 80 out of 100 from eight critic scores.[2] The editorial staff of AllMusic Guide gave the release 3.5 out of five stars, with reviewer Thom Jurek praising the performance: "they create a music that draws on the sum total of experience and shared emotion".[1] In Rolling Stone, Hank Shteamer gave the same score, noting the "savvy stylistic blend", summing up, "As diverse as the material here is, there’s no sense that Lloyd is putting on different hats. Like his career as a whole, Vanished Gardens shows how the many currents of American music all flow into a single stream."[5] NPR's Nate Chinen found emotional resonance in the collaboration, with Lloyd and Williams "open[ing] windows to each other's souls".[6]

Will Layman of PopMatters situated the recording in Lloyd's musical evolution, as part of his exploration of Americana, with praise for the instrumentals but a special attention to the five vocals tracks where Williams appears.[4] Writing for All About Jazz, Mike Jurkovic gave the album 4.5 out of five stars, with positive assessments of each track, noting the competing lyrical content of mortality and hope.[7] Neil Spencer of The Guardian calls the collaboration an "odd couple" considering the musicians' distinct backgrounds but writes that "this unexpected collaboration doesn’t miss a trick"; he gave it four out of five stars.[3] The Associated Press' Pablo Gorondi also noted the blending of styles, calling this "a dynamic ensemble’s testament to creativity, musicianship and independence"[8] and in The Boston Globe, Jon Garelick emphasized the somber tone of the music and the uplifting benediction of the musicians' cover of "Angel".[9]

Accolades

Accolades for Vanished Gardens
Publication Accolade Rank
The Bitter Southerner The Bitter Southerner's Top 30 Southern Albums of 2018

Track listing

  1. "Defiant" (Charles Lloyd) – 8:44
  2. "Dust" (Lucinda Williams) – 8:00
  3. "Vanished Gardens" (Lloyd) – 9:05
  4. "Ventura" (Williams) – 6:24
  5. "Ballad of the Sad Young Men" (Fran Landesman and Tommy Wolf) – 6:19
  6. "We've Come Too Far to Turn Around" (Williams) – 6:32
  7. "Blues for Langston and LaRue" (Lloyd) – 5:40
  8. "Unsuffer Me" (Williams) – 11:42
  9. "Monk's Mood" (Thelonious Monk) – 5:18
  10. "Angel" (Jimi Hendrix) – 5:53

Personnel

Charles Lloyd & The Marvels

Additional personnel

  • Dorothy Darr – art design, photography, production
  • Will Delaney – assistant engineering
  • Bernie Grundman – mastering
  • Joe Harley – poetry
  • Paul Moore – layout
  • Michael C. Ross – engineering, mixing
  • Tyler Shields – assistant engineering
  • Don Was – production

Charts

Chart (2018) Peak
position
US Jazz Albums (Billboard)[11]
3
US Traditional Jazz Albums (Billboard)[12]
2
US Tastemakers (Billboard)[13]
18

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Jurek, Thom. "Vanished Gardens – Charles Lloyd, Charles Lloyd & the Marvels". AllMusic Guide. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  2. 1 2 "Vanished Gardens by Charles Lloyd & the Marvels". Metacritic. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  3. 1 2 Spencer, Neil (July 8, 2018). "Charles Lloyd & the Marvels with Lucinda Williams: Vanished Gardens Review – Odd Couple Hit It Off". The Guardian. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  4. 1 2 Layman, Will (July 10, 2018). "Jazz Legend Charles Lloyd and Americana's Lucinda Williams Join Forces Beautifully on Vanished Gardens". PopMatters. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  5. 1 2 Shteamer, Hank (June 27, 2018). "Review: Charles Lloyd and Lucinda Williams Fuse Jazz and Roots on Vanished Gardens". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  6. ↑ Chinen, Nate (June 21, 2018). "Charles Lloyd & Lucinda Williams Open Windows to Each Other's Souls". NPR. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  7. ↑ Jurkovic, Mike (June 27, 2018). "Charles Lloyd: Vanished Gardens". All About Jazz. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  8. ↑ Gorondi, Pablo (June 26, 2018). "Review: Charles Lloyd and Lucinda Williams, a Dazzling Blend". Associated Press. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  9. ↑ Garelick, Jon (June 27, 2018). "Charles Lloyd, Lucinda Williams Meet at the Crossroads". The Boston Globe. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Best Southerner Albums of 2018". The Bitter Southerner. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Billboard Jazz Albums > Lucinda Williams". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  12. ↑ "Billboard Traditional Jazz Albums > Lucinda Williams". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  13. ↑ "Billboard Tastemakers Albums > Lucinda Williams". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
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