Jazz Times Magazine
"Keyboardist Scott Chasolen is a standout who commands an impressive repertoire of evocative synth voices, in addition to having the ability to get funky on Rhodes, organ, and clavinet."
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Homegrown Music Network
"Charasmastic keyboardist shines on this solo release! Scott showcases his vocals and songwriting on this album. There's a Ben Folds-like
bounce to a lot of the tracks, which percolate with piano-driven, jazzy rhythms and somber melodies. A different side of this talented musician!"
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Cd Baby
This album has the ability to make you want to make love and to cry. It reaches into a soul with the utter most honesty and clarity. Like a beam of sun light that pears through the window, 'the warm spot'. This is the cd thats always on top of rotation in my car. From "You Knew You Would" to "Harmony", you get to indugle into purity, truth, and one of the most beautiful records of the decade. It's a must have!!! Scott Chasolen is someone you should get to know better...
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Pluginmusic.com
Clear, crisp vocals and piano playing that varies in style from jazz to almost classical best define Scott Chasolen’s “Solitude Speaks.” But just when you think you have Chasolen’s album figured out, he goes and adds a moog synthesizer – did not expect that, did you? Oscillating little from his original starting point, “Solitude Speaks” stays focused and presents eleven straightforward, likable songs.
Opening with the light and up beat “On and On,” Chasolen sets the pace for the album: a mix of jazzy and poppy instrumentation with introspective and thoughtful lyrics. “You Knew You Would,” which includes one of the album’s several well done piano passages, has a strong chorus set in a flowing structure that seems to have a free form feel to it. “Am I following your footsteps/Or are your footsteps following me?/I turn around to look/But there’s nothing to see,” Chasolen sings those memorable words on the slow and careful “Footsteps.” Introducing some new elements, specifically the addition of some electronic sounds, “Back Again” offers a nice change of pace while remaining smooth and serene, a theme “Just the Same” continues.
“The Lift,” a melodically driven song with an up beat tone, uses blending vocals reminiscent of Sean Lennon’s “Into the Sun” album. Chasolen changes things up with “Things Between” with well executed jazz focused instrumentation highlighted by his own piano playing and light percussion while “A Line Through Time” is more of an easy listening instrumental. Using piano and light percussion again on the understated “So Many Roads” as the album’s final and title track, “Solitude Speaks,” is a quiet piano and vocals ballad.
Chasolen provides several variations of his principal sound on “Solitude Speaks,” blending a variety of sounds, instruments and genres to create a smooth and soft album that still has the ability to get loud when it needs to. Thoughtful and positive lyrics make up many of the songs but it is Chasolen’s clean sound with both his vocals and piano playing that tend to stand out.
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Starpolish
The talented Scott Chasolen trades in piano-driven jazz-tinged pop; or, what Ben Folds learned from Todd Rundgren’s ’70s output.
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South Of Mainstream
This is some of the freshest, most creative music I’ve had the privilege of listening to in a while.
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Rikk's Reviews
Chasolen has a nice style of pop influenced jazz . The sound is great , and this album is filled with up tempo to down and in between . I was pleasantly surprised with the whole CD , the mixture of sounds is a bonus here . I was expecting something completely different after listening to the first track , because "On & On" has a similar sound of Steely Dan , but it gets better from there .
Chasolen's vocals are very smooth , and they flow along with ease. Scott wears a lot of hats here , as he not only sings and plays a stunning piano , he does much more. Scott is what is known as a musician first, and then a songwriter and vocalist . Scott plays piano , organ , rhodes , clavinet , moog and mellotron. Scott's vocals compare to Elvis Costello (recent years) with the passion and energy that is hard to accomplish considering some of the tunes are mellow in nature.
The music is pleasant and at times tranquil , and Scott brings it home .
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