ProStudioMasters.com

Good things are worth waiting for. Lars Danielsson had recorded just a few tracks for a new Liberetto album in late 2019. So, when a window appeared in September 2020 between the lockdowns across Europe, he seized the opportunity to bring his fellow band-members back to his studio near Gothenburg to finish what they had started. Those who know how attractive and approachable Liberetto’s music is will find all their expectations fulfilled on Cloudland. The 'elegant lyricism' and 'unerring groove' which Canadian writer John Kelman (All About Jazz) spotted in 2011 in the band’s first album are to be found in abundance on this, their fourth. Cloudland richly rewards listeners' patience; one of its very special features is the variety of its beautifully crafted endings. Take for example, the perfect poise of the 'rallentando' which brings the title track to a close; or the enigmatic and questioning final bars of “Sacred Mind”; or the flawlessly precise and crisp conclusion to “Desert of Catanga. These are just three examples of careful, thoughtful work by the co-producers who have clearly been working throughout the time the album has been in the making as a harmonious creative team: Cæcilie Norby, Magnus Öström and Danielsson himself. In every sense, this album provides a reminder that worthwhile creative processes take time to mature.