Natalie Cressman and Brazilian guitarist/singer Ian Faquini have teamed up to write and record 10 new songs which will appear on a forthcoming album, Setting Rays Of Summer. The collaborative album is scheduled to arrive through Cressman’s own label on April 5th and acts as the first solo release for the Trey Anastasio Band horn player since her The Traces EP arrived in March 2017.
According to reports, two musicians tracked each of 10 new original songs in a live setting at the recording studio owned by Cressman’s father in San Francisco. Aside from “a few overdubs,” listeners will hear almost exactly what was played in real-time by the two musicians, who performed the songs together in one room throughout the recording process. The album will also feature song lyrics sung in three different languages including Portuguese, English, and French.
Related: Natalie Cressman Joins Pit Orchestra For New ‘The Cher Show’ Musical On Broadway
A statement shared to go with the album’s announcement on Wednesday reads, “With the warm instrumentation of acoustic guitar and trombone alongside two-part vocal harmonies hugging the Brazilian-accented Portuguese, Cressman & Faquini weave their musical voices together to create a fully orchestrated sound befitting a much larger ensemble.”
“With the release, we hope people will respond to the honesty and intimacy of this music,” Natalie and Ian also mentioned in a joint statement. “We hope that the songs resonate with people on an emotional level as they experience new stories and new styles of Brazilian music and that they will find the simplicity of two instruments and two voices making music together to be a welcome change from the majority of music made today.”
Cressman and Faquini are no strangers to playing with each other. Last year saw the two form a new project named Brasilense alongside Rebecca Kleinmann and Julien Cantelm. The band even spent some time performing across California for a brief run of concerts last spring.
As of Thursday, the two have a trio of upcoming performances scheduled including shows in Portland, OR (April 10th); Seattle, WA (April 13th); and Denver, CO (April 16th). They’re expected to announce more tour dates in California, New York, and Washington in the coming weeks leading up to the album’s April arrival.