An artist’s debut shows off their charms and makes the case for their allure. The second album should prove that the first one was no fluke and there’s consistency to an act’s ideas. But the third LP is considered the difficult one for a reason – it has to show that the art can evolve, while still holding true to the sound that made it appealing in the first place. It’s the record that should make a Major Statement. Nori gets that on their new release, Walking Foot.
The quintet bloomed in a jazz space. Singer/lyricist Akina Adderley – the daughter of keyboardist Nat Adderley Jr., granddaughter of trumpeter Nat Adderley, and grandniece of Cannonball Adderley – represents jazz royalty. Though the foundational principles of the genre – well-timed improvisation, complex harmonies, non-standard pulses, and a bluesy aftertaste – dwell close to the members’ hearts, they’ve evolved beyond tradition. Elements of smooth R&B, modern folk, and orchestral pop provide spots of color while remaining integrated into the band’s landscape. Each player has their specialty, but blends their talents into a satisfying whole, held together by the framework of drummer Andy Beaudoin’s keenly crafted compositions and Adderley’s husky vocals.
The full flowering of Nori’s conception begins with the album’s inauguration. Initiated by the flurry of Erik Telford’s gaudy trumpet and Beaudoin’s percussion skitters, “Dead and Gone’ melds a casual rhythmic lope and a shiny soul melody with frenetic soloing and tasteful strings. All of it comes in service of a lyric that calmly seethes with defiance when considering the state of America.“Wake up/ You cannot steal my tongue,” Adderley coolly insists to the oppressive powers taking control. “You can’t erase my faith in my face/ And once again/ I’ll be here when you’re gone.” Telford and keyboardist Nick Litterski’s mid-song duel underscores the point.
The energetic and uplifting “Set It Down” asserts that, no matter what, we’ve got this – the strings and Litterski’s nimble electric piano support Adderley’s timely encouragement to succumb to neither gloom nor doom: “Set it down and watch how you fly/ Lay your heavy heart down and take the sky.” Nori also ponders the awesomeness of nature with the frisky “Hurricane,” composed by Telford, and the lush, shuffling “Dawn.”
On Walking Foot, Nori refines their singular musical vision to its most sophisticated point.
Elsewhere, Walking Foot gets intimate. “Tiptoe” portrays the eggshell-walking inherent in a tense relationship – between lovers? parent and child? – with a modern, jazzy pop tune, like a less sardonic, 21st-century Steely Dan. A paean to emotional dereliction, the neo-soul-tinged “Piece of You” chronicles the next step, Adderley’s beautifully sung balladry asking, “If I let go, how would you know me when you see me?” like it’s the eternal question.
Fortunately, the striking closer “Sound of Snow” reclaims love as a positive force. With a commanding bass solo from Aaron Allen and lyrics that avoid romantic cliches while still conveying deep devotion, Adderley sings, “We will return to the sound of snow,” the place where true love first fully expresses itself. That “we” could mean more than the two lovers; maybe it includes all of us.
Nori refines their singular musical vision to its most sophisticated point here, reaching creative and emotional maturity as both an artistic apex and an anticipation of what’s to come. Walking Foot handily checks the Major Statement box.
Nori plays a record release show on Friday, August 22, at the 04 Center.
Nori
Walking Foot (Self-Released)
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This article appears in August 22 • 2025.
