This is the full-length debut studio album from Houston, Texas pianist Paul Cornish. Known for working with the likes of Terrace Martin or Robert Glasper & Herbie Hancock, he would go on to sign with the greatest jazz label of all-time Blue Note Records this past January after solidifying himself by blending post-bop with blues & gospel. Coming off the heels of 3 singles with in the past 7 weeks or so, You’re Exaggerating! looks to carry the torch for all the pianos players who began an 86 year tradition that’s still going strong.
“DB Song” comes out the gate blending these settle piano passages with Jonathan Pinson on drums & Joshua Crumbly on bass hence the “DB” in the title whereas “Queinxiety” expresses Paul’s habit of chronic overthinking the 3 & a half minutes. “Star is Born” references the formation of literal stars instead of the composer himself leading into “Slow Song” removing the drums & bass from the equation.
As for “5AM”, we have Paul looking back at his days in college where he used to wake up very early to work out just before the lead single “Dinosaur Song” takes inspiration from his girlfriend’s nephew. Jeff Parker plays guitar on 2nd single “Palindrome” complimenting the Monkian keys & after the final single “Queen Geri” pays tribute to the late Geri Allen, the closer “Modus Operani” shows off a bit of a baroque influence to end the LP.
Inspired by Robert Glasper’s sophomore effort Canvas & it’s follow-up In My Element, all 9 of the original compositions that Paul Cornish conceived throughout the course of his 42 minute debut continues a historic lineage of local pianists by taking out a few pages from his story leaning towards the styles of post-bop & jazz fusion with an approach that tends to entice the audience rather than impressing them.
Score: 4/5
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