Rotem Sivan - For Emotional Use Only (2014)

Tracklist

01. Intro to Spirals
02. Spirals
03. Blossom Interlude
04. A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes
05. For Emotional Use Only
06. Sefi's Blues
07. Useless Landscape
08. Blossom Interlude II
09. Pass It On
10. Blossom

"The first thing you notice about the Rotem Sivan Trio is the confidence and sense of pacing that draws the listener in from the first note. Bassist Haggai Cohen Milos Intro to Spirals, in a commanding and richly melodic style that owes much to Charlie Haden, captures our ears first on For Emotional Use Only, setting us up for the incisive, low-voltage intensity of guitarist Sivan and Mark McLean on drums. Before the six minutes of Spirals is over, its clear that Sivans facility is remarkable but more importantly, his taste and dynamics are just as developed. Instead of hitting you with everything theyve got, Sivan and his cohorts are content to play their music and invite you in to enjoy it with them. Take the easy-going swing of the old-fashioned Mack David, Al Hoffman and Jerry Livingston tune A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes from their score for Cinderella, listen as it blossoms into an upbeat meditation on the chord changes before settling back for an in-the-pocket bass solo with chattering drums. Guitar and drums trade licks with aplomb before the trio reunites to take it home. The lovely title track by Sivan, with sensitive playing by all hands, strikes me as a close cousin of Hadens Silence, one of his most beautiful and memorable lines. Sefis Blues gives the trio a chance to turn it up a notch, which they do without undue clutter or overplaying. Their meshed and measured pacing, sparked by McLeans crisp drumming, is really a joy on this tune. Jobims Useless Landscape receives an appropriately sunny treatment that shimmers and sways as Sivan caresses the melody with Milo playing a counter-melody on bass. McLean starts out on brushes, then picks up drum sticks to move things temporarily into a higher gear. Pass It On is a happy, foot-tapping riff designed for maximum interplay at a moderate tempo that the trio has some fun with. Sivan starts it out with a long and typically well-constructed solo. Bassist Milo takes over briefly in a more meandering style, then gives way to more guitar and drum trades before Milo brings it back to the head. There are a pair of very brief Blossom Interludes scattered among the tracks, building up to the full song at the end of the disc. Blossoms is built from a quick flurry of guitar harmonics followed by a folky melody line and an improvisation that works variations on the theme. Sivans guitar has remained pretty clean throughout the disc, but his sound seems larger and with a touch more distortion here, which works to the songs advantage. He plays an expressive and uplifting solo. McLean, given a more dynamic role here, plays wonderfully, taking a brief but very effective solo. Its a fittingly tasteful conclusion for this rewarding and enjoyable debut."

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