Connecticut-based composer & lyricist Margee Minier-Tubbs, together with her multi-instrumentalist partner Premik Russell Tubbs, delivers not just an album but a thematic, cross-cultural journey with their latest album, “Oneness-World.”
This 7-track, approximately 47-minute work positions itself as a world/jazz-fusion project that seeks to dissolve musical boundaries and evoke a sense of spiritual and social unity. From the opening title movement to the very end, the album tries to balance instrumental virtuosity, lyrical and spoken poetic expression.
The album begins with “Oneness”, a perfect showcase of the album’s theme. It features Margee’s spoken-word introduction layered over chantlike motifs and gradually gives way to instrumental expansion complete with sax and flute lines.
https://margeeminier-tubbs.bandcamp.com/album/oneness-world-2?from=discover_page
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“Joie de Vivre” is a French term for the cheerful enjoyment of life, and this track perfectly encapsulates that feeling with its bright passages and catchy drums. This is immediately followed by “Catwalk (A Stitch in Time)”, a 12-minute track inspired by the glamour and shine of the fashion industry. But the start was just a subversion of expectations as the third movement delivers a scathing spoken-word criticism of fast fashion and garment factories.
“Norwegian Dance” adds diversity to the album by incorporating traditional Northern European instrumentation and is actually super interesting if you’re not familiar with Nordic music. The album closes with “The Bells”, a Christmas-inspired single with gentle, yet festive instrumentation. It’s not even Christmas season yet, but given the rollercoaster journey we’ve been on, it somehow doesn’t feel out of place.
What distinguishes Oneness-World is how densely layered it is: atmospheric pads, world percussion, background vocal textures, spoken word overlays. Keeping things coherent would’ve been an incredible challenge in the production room, but this album succeeds.
Oneness-World is a work of deep sincerity and complexity. If you’re a listener who enjoys albums as journeys where you lean in, explore, and revisit the textures, this record is a great fit. A fair warning for more casual listeners; this is not background music; it communicates, critiques, and demands your attention.