Veronica Swift’s new eponymously titled album is a masterful coming-out story. On her previous albums, Confessions and This Bitter Earth, she ascended to the upper echelon of early 21st century jazz singers because of her virtuosic brilliance, interpretive ingenuity, bracing songwriting and keen arrangements. Simply put, Swift is not only one of the most dazzling singers to emerge in her generation, she’s one of the most versatile.
Swift first gained major international attention in 2015 when she won second place in the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz International Vocals Competition. Four years later, Mack Avenue Records released her acclaimed album Confessions when she was only 25 years old. She demonstrated her flair for conceptual song cycles on her follow-up album, This Bitter Earth, which not only gave glimpses of her rock influences but thematically touched upon some of the harder truths of being a woman, particularly when it comes to domestic abuse.
“I remind people that any exploration of music outside of straight ahead jazz is an addition, not a subtraction,” Swift continues. “I just hope this album helps people embrace every aspect of who they are, and let it guide their own self-expression.”