The debut album from piano extraordinaire and Dawes member Lee Pardini is quite the expansive, exploratory jazz record featuring contributions from bandmate Griff Goldsmith, Tortoise's Jeff Parker among others. Homebodies finds Pardini searching for what makes him feel like home.
Piano extraordinaire Lee Pardini has been around and has done a lot musically over the past decade. He's toured with countless rock icons such as Elvis Costello, Phil Lesh, and Roger Waters just to name a few. Most notably in recent years is that he has been a member of the L.A. rock band Dawes since 2016, providing a charismatic and vibrant personality to the already charming band of excellent bros. Apparently, the past 10 years of writing and performing has ultimately culminated a solo effort from Pardini, titled Homebodies. It is in fact a solo record under his name, but Homebodies is quite the expansive, exploratory jazz record that is not just Pardini simply at his piano laying it all out. He's joined by Dawes bandmate Griff Goldsmith on drums, Tortoise's Jeff Parker on guitar, and other members on bass, sax, electric guitar, pedal steel, and other percussive elements too. Homebodies finds Lee Pardini searching for what makes him feel like home. That certain special sauce to the home slice of the thick cheeseburger, in simpler terms.
Although this is a collaborative album amongst seven musicians, these ten songs all tie in nicely with one another and actually focus on the main instrumental focal point: the keys. Pardini's piano playing is multi-layered, often fast paced, and is the best factor in the record. Of course, the other instrumental elements are wonderful too, but they get the job done of propelling Pardini into the stratosphere. The overall sound of the album is quite similar to that of its album cover: a spacey, atmospheric experience that actually can be epic, dimensional, and enriching. The majority of these songs have progressions that end up being fantastically jammy. The opening track, "whatsoever" is exactly that atmospheric and otherworldly experience: it's gorgeously rich and decadent with its lush bass, swirling synthesized keys, and sunlit saxophone. Did I forget to mention those amazing swaying cinematic strings, ones you'd find on a freaking James Bond movie? Yeah, it's that cinematic. Another highlight is the explosive "Main Title," a proper intro for showing how not just awesome the keys are, but how rad Griff's drumming is. If you haven't heard a Dawes record, please do anyway, but Griff's advanced drumming and skill is certainly showcased on this album.
"ETA" might be my favorite on the album. It's certainly the most jammy and tasty one of the bunch and has some of the best grooves and progressions too. The electric keys and saxophone on this one are played quite handsomely and smoothly, often intertwined with one another. Jeff Parker's electric guitar comes in the second half of the track in an abrasive fashion (not too abrasive, but a solid kind of loud). "Sibley" is a slow burner, but a stunner. At eight minutes in length, it gradually takes its time with its piano keys and strings. But if you stick with it, you'll find it quite rewarding with its crashing symbols, an intense string showcase, and a loud cacophonous finish. "One Day at a Time" may also be my favorite (I mean all of these are absolute bangers). It's plucky and chirpy piano reminds me of the Professor Layton video game soundtrack with its rainy day, cloudy environment its portraying. Its sax plays out like a windy day. The entire instrumental palette reminds me of some of Kamasi Washington's best ballads. "LV, NV" (supposedly named after Las Vegas, Nevada) has some of the most explosive piano building on the album. Versatile, too with his shifts from some more melodic playing directly to fast paced, fluttery light playing.
I do think with all this searching, Lee Pardini found his meaning of home on Homebodies. There's a comforting, homemade quality to this record with all of these seven musicians really showing their skillset while also leaving Pardini in the spotlight with his sharp piano skills. The overall sound and production is very rich, warm, and inviting. It's quite impressive seeing him play with Dawes after all these years kind of as a quieter figure in the band compared to the others to seeing his debut album be as professionally well put together and enriching. Arguably the best jazz album I've heard in a while, Homebodies is a special, personal album from Lee Pardini. Finally being in the spotlight, Lee really wants to share his songs he's been putting together for a long time. Well crafted, if you give Homebodies a listen, you will be left with an hour well spent.
My Rating: 8 / 10
Favorite Songs: "ETA," "whatsoever," "One Day at a Time," "LV, NV"
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