Maria Solena has always had a smoky, rich voice that stops you in your tracks. But in Yesterday and Tomorrow, her latest and boldest studio album, she steps out as a storyteller penning nearly every track herself (all but the opener). Right off the bat, “Just the Two of Us” sets the tone with rumbling beats, lush horns, and a bassline that lingers like a slow dance. Solena’s delivery is unhurried and intimate, crooning about commitment and possibility with lyrics like “building castles in the sky.” It’s smooth, nostalgic, and instantly magnetic.
Then in “Before the Night is Done,” the mood dips into something more vulnerable. Over romantic horns and dreamy percussion, she questions lost love with a rasp in her voice, “What happened to our love?”
The whole album is a bit like that as it meanders through jazz, soul, and pop with the elegance of someone who’s lived through love, loss, and triumph. “Yesterday and Tomorrow” has flutes fluttering like feathers, warm piano lines, and Solena singing softly but surely about time, memory, and what it means to stop and love for all that it costs.
Backed by top-tier producers Allan Rodger and Miles Black and supported by legends like Tom Keenlyside, this album embodies all the heart, all the love and all the sincerity and commitment that formulates a bond and even a family, which we see breaking all the time today. It reminds you that love is necessary for a society. Listen to Yesterday and Tomorrow on Spotify.
STAY IN TOUCH:
INSTAGRAM | SPOTIFY | WEBSITE | YOUTUBE
Review by: Naomi Joan