When Carol Albert started scaling the smooth jazz airplay charts in 2017 with “One Way” and “Chasing Waterfalls” from her album Fly Away Butterfly, it made sense to appreciate the pianist/composer’s fascinating swirl of melodic grace, seductive grooves and hoppin’ global vibes as the exciting emergence of a new artist. But in reality, the classically trained artist was only starting the next phase of a multi-faceted career that included an Emmy nomination, countless international performances and a discography of adult contemporary albums dating back to the early 90s.
While the artist’s ability to resonate emotionally over the course of her subsequent albums Stronger Now (2020) and Magic Mirror (2022) and a flurry of massive airplay hits is impressive, we live in a world dominated by streaming, where big numbers often tell the deeper tale of an artist’s overall impact. So it’s worth noting that, while most artists who share smooth jazz chart space with her measure their success with airplay spins and Billboard chart positions, she complements her dominance there with Spotify streaming totals usually reserved for budding indie pop stars.
As of early 2025, on Spotify, “Perfect Sunday” and the title track from her 2020 album Stronger Now have 10.8M+ and 3M+ streams, respectively, and “Fire and Water” from Magic Mirror (2022) has 1.8M+.
As she regales her fans and hopefully large swaths of curious new listeners with her latest album Pieces of Me, the qualities that set Carol apart from many of her peers comes clear once again, Beyond her ability to pen great/pop jazz tunes and work with top producers like Paul Brown, Roberto Vally and Euge Groove, it’s the fact that, using predominantly instrumental music with gentle touches of vocals and thought-provoking titles, she invites us into her life.
Though her breakthrough single was an explosive cover of the Brazilian standard “Mas Que Nada,” she’s infused the genre with original songs that both chronicle her personal emotional journey (as she emerged from a time of great loss following the passing of her husband in 2014) and thoughtfully reflect on the world around her. Yes, she’s had a dizzying array of hit singles, but her aesthetic is that of someone who came up in the era where the full album experience was the (literal) gold standard. Her airplay smashes must be experienced in context of the so called “album cuts” to fully connect with her compelling narrative storytelling.
To put it succinctly, in hopes that if Pieces of Me is your first Carol experience it prompts you to check out her previous gems, Fly Away Butterfly reflected the process of healing from her loss, with tunes specifically touching on her stages of recovering and healing. (Not easy to do in a genre that favors upbeat escapist jams – but she balances joy and sorrow quite artfully!) Stronger Now (2020), the first of her albums to predominantly feature the production expertise of two-time Grammy winning guitarist/mega hitmaker Paul Brown, chronicles her ongoing emotional journey, with songs of resilience and determination to navigate life on her own. (Musical inspiration at its finest).
Perhaps my favorite album up till the equally mesmerizing and fascinating Pieces of Me is Magic Mirror (2022), whose elegant light funk vibe and luminescent flowing energy reminded me of the great contemporary jazz of the early 90s (a time when Carol was doing her AC stuff!) She released this one in the wake of the pandemic, tapping thematically into the importance of self-acceptance (especially among woman facing challenging modern beauty standards) and the optimistic embrace of an era of new awakenings.
Bookended by different versions of the title track – the first darker and bluesier, the finale driven by a pop-flavored, slightly more positive vibe – Pieces of Me is an eclectic, emotionally relatable collection that takes the listener from life’s high spirited, joyful moments to more introspective, slightly bluesier moods where the journey takes us through times of sorrow and struggle. Though there are no vocals, the collection’s flashpoint was an introspective poem the pianist/composer wrote titled “Pieces of Me” while walking in the woods near her home in North Georgia.
A key line reads, “A closer look reveals the shattered glass/Each piece from times in my past/Should I attempt to reassemble?/Or is it more beautiful as a symbol?” For something composed so spontaneously, it's a majestic poem full of insight into how Carol is feeling about her life today. That she translated that so perfectly into musical poetry makes Pieces of Me a truly transcendent musical work.
Any discussion of the grand merits of Pieces of Me must begin with the vibrant, fast rolling Latin-influenced pop-jazz jam “Sunshine Yellow,” produced by Carol and bassist Roberto Vally, featuring guitarist Peter White and mastered by Euge Groove. The peppy romp reached #1 on the Billboard, Mediabase and Smooth Jazz Network charts and was SJ Network’s top song of the year, Billboard’s #3 and Mediabase’s #2 song of the year. The second single, the Euge Groove produced breezy, tropical flavored mid-tempo ballad “Seaside Story” also hit #1 on the Billboard and MediaBase Smooth AC charts.
Another major reason for Carol’s success on the charts is her long-term association with Brown and his crew of musical magicians at The Funky Joint. The cat responsible for over 70 chart hits as a solo artist and genre superstar producer helmed six of Carol’s new tracks – including the opening version of “Pieces of Me,” co-produced with Lew Laing; the festive, whimsy-filled “Pink Flamango” and meditative, atmospheric ballad “Vertical Horizon,” both featuring Brown’s shimmering guitar complementing Carol’s lush melodies; the playfully strutting “City Walk,” the dreamy, hypnotic “Neptune Passion” (which showcases the soaring, soulful duality of Carol’s piano and guest artist Adrian Crutchfield’s graceful soprano sax) and the meditative ballad “Losing Myself,” whose lush, stirring bass solo by Brian Bromberg adds deeper emotional gravitas.
Carol self-produced “Hidden Pages,” a , ambient chill jazz electronica vibing track whose title emerged from a moment when Carol and Euge Groove were working on “Seaside Story” and searched for a hard-to-find file. Taken metaphorically, and in line with her personal storytelling that has shared breakthrough moments along the way, she equates it with when we search hard for a solution and it’s simpler than we thought, there in front of us all along.
As on Carol’s previous genre albums, Pieces of Me finds Carol in ensemble with many of the genre’s top studio musicians. Paul Brown’s crew includes bassists Roberto Vally and Timothy Bailey, Jr., guitarists Shane Theriot and Andre Frappier, drummer Lil John Roberts and keyboardist/guitarist Jeffrey LeRoy Smith (also a co-writer on “Vertical Horizon”). In addition to the aforementioned Peter White, Brian Bromberg and saxophonist/flutist Adrian Crutchfield, guest artists include guitarist Dan Baraszu, saxophonist Paula Atherton, flutist Ragan Whiteside and vocalist Tierra Stuart.
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