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From the socially conscious, spoken word intro on the jazzy grooving opening track “Atmosphere” through the multi-cultural fusion of the closer “World Kall” (featuring chanting vocals, Eastern instrumentation, African percussion, Latin guitar, violin and tropical vibes), Theresa Grayson devotes herself to a mission to make World Blue a true global journey celebrating the multi-cultural magic of music. Her exciting and inspiring “world tour” begins with stops in Eastern Asia, with “Crane’s Dance,” an atmospheric piece featuring a synth koto and lead flute melody; France, for “Je t’adore”, a lush, soulful and exotic French language ballad sung beautifully by Grayson; and India, for a sensual swirl of soulful soprano sax, percussive intensity and hypnotic chants. After the funky, in the pocket urban jazz tune “Playing with Jas” and a free-spirited, mystical and muscular twist on “Radioactive”, the saxophonist jets to Africa for the heavily soundscaped, jungle chant driven “Sisi Ni Moja,” which floats her whimsical soprano sax melody over deep native grooves.

Next, she’s out for some tropical fun, splashing into salsa-land for a rousing cover of “Sway” (originally popularized by Dean Martin) and heading down to Jamaica for the soulful reggae-jazz romp “The Sun Still Shines”. The thumping, discofied Euro-tech jazz tune “Tranz4Nations” emerged from the Crystal Stewart wedding, when it was suggested that Grayson play sax over the DJ’s heavy beats. After the graceful and elegant soprano driven jazz quartet ballad “Twenty 5 Seven”, Grayson wraps World Blue with a bang, preceding “World Kall” by taking on the Quincy Jones role (along with producer Terence Fisher) to oversee the choirs and multi-textured instrumentation on “We Are The World.”

REVIEW
“I hereby nominate Theresa Grayson for global music ambassador! With World Blue, the multi-talented composer, saxophonist, singer and flutist expands upon the ambition of her multi-genre breakthrough Live2Love with a powerful, compelling set of songs that redefines the often-overused phrase “musical journey”. While offering just enough jazz and a recent pop/rock cover to remind us of her musical roots, she stamps a passport for a whirlwind of continents and cultures that allow her to embark on fun and inspiring, not to mention wildly unexpected, travel adventures. More than just a lively, eclectic musical sojourn, World Blue is highly spiritual, celebrating our common humanity while accenting our diverse approaches to music based on cultural influences. Speaking her mission statement about practicing more patience, kindness and love for one another at the start, she spends the next hour showing just how important music is in helping us achieve this. With dynamic production and instantly infectious songs throughout, it’s nothing short of a global fusion masterpiece.” – Jonathan Widran