If you’re looking for a relaxing, gentle album with beautiful melodies, then look no further than “Child of Somebody” the new album from composer, producer and bass player Ross McHenry. Known for his work as bandleader of The Shaolin Afronauts as well as his 2013 First Word release “Distant Oceans,”  the young artist has been described as “The Future of Australian Jazz.”

“I wanted to create an album that drew on sonically on the template of Distant Oceans, but that was harmonically and melodically more ambitious. The album captures my thoughts and feelings at a time where our world is rapidly transitioning towards a future that we are unable to fully envisage but that we are a part of whether we like it or not. It’s an album about the choices we make as individuals and as communities and the intensely personal way we experience the world around us. I feel that as artists we have a responsibility to reflect honestly on the way we see the world.”

From the moment the stunning first track “Opening / Despair” kicks off the album to the closing moments of the last song “Little Ones,” McHenry delivers an incredibly beautiful, vibrant album full of colourful soundscapes that will give you goosebumps on each play. Standout cuts for me so far are “Stateless,” “Sketch,” “Circles In A Circle,” “Clean Break (For Ornate)” and the title track. This album is full of twist and turns, the more you listen to it the more surprises you’ll find.

(★★★★☆)

Ross McHenry’s ‘Child Of Somebody’ is out now (buy)