:: Plans - At Least

Plans

‘At Least’ is the debut album by Plans. It is a very decent jazz album, with a number of high points. Plans has included a few covers, jazz standards Night and Day, Little Sunflower, and also Billie Holiday’s Fine and Mellow. The majority of the songs, however, are of the bands own creation, and it is with these that Plans get to truly show off their skills. The songs are all very listenable, but two tracks stand out. The first is “Could it be” composed and performed by the band‘s vocalist Fiona Clarke. Although Fine and Mellow’s lyrical performance isn’t quite believable, Clarke really comes into her own performing her composition “Could It Be”, a sad tale of an endless moment spent pondering an apparently doomed relationship. This is a very good song, and is the vocal highlight of the album. For the instrumental tracks, the highlight would have to be 'Alien Lullaby’, composed by the band's guitarist, Lucas Millar. At times this track possesses an ethereal quality that is reminiscent of famed US guitarist Bill Frisell. Plans has made a good beginning, and it will be interesting to see it goes from here.