Album Review: Maya de Vitry, ‘The Only Moment’
On The Only Moment, her fourth full-length album, Maya de Vitry’s voice illumines the depths of human yearnings, the often restless search for emotional equilibrium, and the gentle flourishing of the human spirit that grows out of introspection.
Lush guitar arrangements, accompanied by ringing keyboards that accompany the spiraling vocals of de Vitry and Phoebe Hunt—who co-wrote the song—reverberate through the poignant “Nothing Else Matters.” De Vitry brilliantly alternates the lyrics of the refrain—”I’m living/Nothing else matters” becomes “I’m singing/Nothing else matters” and then turns to “I’m weeping/Nothing else matters”—of this hypnotic ballad as a way of conveying the enduring strength of being present in every moment of life. The gently rocking “Compass”—de Vitry’s vocals here, and indeed the musical composition itself, recalls Joni Mitchell’s Court and Spark—features Anthony da Costa’s jangly, piercing lead solo on the instrumental bridge. The defiant rocker “Odds of Getting Even,” a co-write with Caitlin Canty (the song also appeared on Canty’s 2023 Quiet Flame as well as on Della Mae’s 2020 Headlight), casts a knowing glance on individuals’ constant desire to catch up, to live life fully, especially in the face of death when, with some irony, “the odds of getting even” will no longer be a burden. De Vitry’s ethereal vocals—recalling Rickie Lee Jones and Mitchell—weave a magical spell over the luxuriant, spacious jazz folk of “I’m Not Going Anywhere,” an avowal of the lasting power of love. “Some Rent” rocks steady with an affirmation of moving forward, even as the singer acknowledges some of the wisdom she’s gained from her past. De Vitry’s radiant vocals on the gently undulating “Watching the Whole Sky Change,” featuring Alec Wilder on Wurlitzer, showcase the virtuosity of her phrasing. The final verse of this mesmerizing song sums up a central theme of the album, living in the moment: “What I need now/Is less letting the darkness haunt me/And more knowing it’s part of belonging/And just watching the whole sky change.”
With The Only Moment, Maya de Vitry takes her place alongside Laura Nyro and Joni Mitchell as a songwriter and vocalist whose intuitive understanding of the resonance of lyrics and music captures and conveys the emotional depth of human experience.
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The Only Moment is available HERE
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