Nao - Autumn LP (Colored, Red)

Autumn, the first of 4 records Nao will be releasing as part of her Soulful Suite project, is about finding your way back to yourself. It's a record about accepting the seasons of a life - things ending, changing, even falling apart at times - while refusing to believe that with the passing of time you have to feel less alive. Through love, rest, pleasure, spirituality, music, and self-belief, Nao discovers that renewal doesn't mean returning to who you were, it means allowing yourself to become who you are next, and finding joy in that. The live jazz performances from Nao, Dave Okumu, and friends at the heart of the record feel like an extension of that idea: a musical style rooted in history, but defined by freedom, instinct, and possibility - honoring what came before while remaining open to wherever the moment might take you.