Some albums are content to explore one genre; others find their identity in the collision of styles. Talkin’ In Colour, the collaborative album from Sweden’s Glam Sam And His Combo and British singer-songwriter Angelina, comfortably belongs in the latter camp. Instead of treating jazz, soul, funk, blues, and spoken-word poetry as separate musical languages, the duo allows them to flow naturally into each other, creating a listening experience that feels cinematic, deeply personal, and refreshingly unconcerned with commercial formulas. Producer Mats Samuelsson, aka Glam Sam And His Combo, constructs vivid instrumental soundscapes of groove and ambience, while Angelina’s lyrics and performances are imbued with emotional heft, but never melodrama. Together they create an album as interested in storytelling as rhythm, offering a collection of songs that invite reflection as often as they encourage movement. The title itself—Talking In Color—perfectly sums up the philosophy of the record. Each arrangement has been vividly painted, each lyric adds another shade to the canvas, and each performance adds to an artistic conversation where emotion is conveyed through texture as much as through words.
The backstory of their collaboration makes the chemistry even more satisfying. It started in the summer of 2025 when Samuelsson found Angelina through her rendition of “Golden Day” on the Monks Road Social debut album Down the Willows. Her voice was unlike anything he’d heard before, and he sent her a handful of instrumental ideas, wondering if any of them would spark her. What followed was an organic creative exchange that quickly evolved into a full album. Perhaps the greatest strength of the project is that it is this natural evolution. There is nothing artificial or contrived about Talkin’ In Colour. Instead, it feels distinctly like two artists really inspiring one another. Samuelsson doesn’t oversell Angelina with overproduced arrangements, and Angelina doesn’t use the music as a backdrop for vocal showcases. Their partnership works because both artists understand what the other brings, and there’s room for groove and storytelling without either one competing for attention. The result is a body of work that feels truly collaborative, with neither personality dominating the other.
The album opens with “Fingertips,” which sets the pensive mood right away, with hypnotic grooves, spoken-word sections, and swirling psychedelic guitar textures. It’s the emotional groundwork for everything that’s to come. The song is a tribute to Angelina’s late father, the artist Johnny Grimshaw, and it’s remarkably sincere without ever getting sentimental. The visual art affects the whole composition, and the listener has the feeling of walking in a painting of Grimshaw while memories are slowly appearing in the sound. Angelina’s vocal delivery strikes a balance between vulnerability and quiet confidence, while Glam Sam’s production surrounds her words with a warm, immersive atmosphere. From there, “Mr. Cool’s Groove” moves into a more animated rhythmic energy, demonstrating the producer’s knack for infectious jazz-funk arrangements. The momentum continues with “Don’t Miss The Bliss,” which features uplifting soul influences that encourage the listener to appreciate life’s fleeting moments while maintaining the thoughtful mood set by the album opener. The sequencing is one of the album’s strongest assets from its earliest stage, each song flowing effortlessly into the next.
The album’s most memorable highlights include the song “Runaway Trains (The Riviera Jazz Groove),” a song that perfectly demonstrates the album’s ability to combine emotional storytelling with sophisticated musicianship. Elegantly written and flowing effortlessly, the track is already gaining airplay on respected stations such as Jazz FM and Solar Radio and lives up to its growing reputation. The song is inspired by the idea of getting away from the routines of life and embracing uncertain possibilities, and while it captures both longing and optimism, it avoids clichés. Angelina’s vocal performance is intimate and expansive at the same time, with hope expressed via understated phrasing rather than dramatic vocal acrobatics. Meanwhile, Glam Sam swaddles her in posh jazz textures that evoke images of coastal evenings, wide-open landscapes, and voyages toward something brighter. It’s music that demands movement, but not necessarily dancing—it’s music that invites emotional movement, gently reminding listeners that personal reinvention often starts with the courage to leave familiar ground behind.
The album’s centerpiece is undoubtedly the two versions of “I Talk In Color” that showcase different facets of the same artistic vision. “The Disco Jazz Explosion” is all about the dancefloor energy, with funky basslines, shimmering grooves, and vibrant brass-inspired arrangements floating Angelina’s poetic reflections into celebratory territory. The Brixton Jazz Edit, meanwhile, pulls back the atmosphere just a little and places a premium on mood, intimacy, and lyrical nuance. Both versions work, as neither appears redundant. They are rather like two readings of the same picture under two different lights. Angelina’s songwriting, driven by the dizzying emotions of new love, unfolds in vivid imagery and cinematic storytelling. The songs evoke smoky lofts, vintage cafes, late-night conversations, and fleeting moments between the real and the imagined. Samuelsson’s arrangements are a perfect fit for those images, never letting the listener forget the emotional story behind the irresistible grooves. Few albums can return to the same composition without diminishing its impact, but Talkin’ In Colour uses repetition as a chance for deeper exploration rather than simple variation.
Elsewhere, tracks like “Sweet Summer Nights (The Sweets For My Honey Groove)” and “Blood Red Stone (The New Orleans Groove)” further expand the album’s stylistic palette while maintaining remarkable cohesion. Sweet Summer Nights conjures the warmth and nostalgia of its title, combining soulful melodies with laid-back funk beats that feel just right for long evenings and introspective moods. It’s quietly elegant, letting its emotional resonance build slowly rather than demanding attention right away. “Blood Red Stone” draws from New Orleans, by contrast, with a rhythmic swagger and bluesy textures adding welcome color to the album without disrupting its flow. Throughout these tunes, Samuelsson’s gift of acknowledging many musical traditions while presenting arrangements that are distinctly his own comes to the fore. His production never sounds like imitation but rather a celebration of influences, filtered through a contemporary artistic lens that keeps the album feeling fresh and individual.
The final leg keeps the project’s momentum going with commendable consistency. The closer, “Heartache And Loving,” is especially apt, as it ties together many of the emotional themes presented in the previous tracks. Instead of finishing with big, dramatic gestures, the album concludes with thoughtful restraint, underscoring its commitment to authenticity over spectacle. This quiet confidence is indicative of the overall character of Talkin’ In Colour. It’s an album that trusts its listener, that grants the listener access to its subtleties, that lets the melodies, the lyrics, and the instrumental textures come to fruition over time. This patience is rewarded increasingly on repeated listens, as the carefully layered arrangements slowly reveal new details previously unnoticed. Every groove is carefully laid, every lyrical image adds to the overall emotional sweep, and every performance reinforces the sense that this album has been produced with real artistic care rather than commercial calculation.
It’s impossible to talk about Talkin’ In Color without mentioning the importance of Johnny Grimshaw’s artwork that adorns the album cover. The painting is not only something nice to look at; it adds an emotional element to the music itself. And the addition of his artwork makes the album an even more personal creative statement: “Fingertips” is a love letter to Angelina’s father. Music and visual art are fused, underlining the project’s continuing obsession with color, memory, imagination, and emotional expression. This multi-dimensional perspective adds to the listening experience, encouraging audiences to view the album not just as a collection of songs but as a full artistic work in which sound and image augment each other. It’s a lovely touch, and it speaks to the care that went into all aspects of the production and reminds listeners that the fruitful collaborations often go beyond the musicians themselves to include the stories, histories, and inspirations that made them.
Ultimately, Talking In Color succeeds because it doesn’t fit neatly into one category. Jazz fans will enjoy the sophisticated arrangements and improvisational spirit. Soul fans will enjoy Angelina’s emotionally rich vocal performances. Samuelsson’s infectious grooves will draw in funk aficionados, while fans of singer-songwriter storytelling will hear honesty woven into every lyric. But the album never feels like a patchwork of influences. Instead, it generates a profound sense of unity through its consistent attention to atmosphere, emotion, and artistic sincerity. Glam Sam and His Combo and Angelina have made a record that celebrates individuality without sacrificing cohesion, and it feels timeless instead of trend-conscious. In an era where many releases are about instant streaming success and not lasting artistic identity, Talkin’ In Colour is a welcome reminder that carefully crafted albums still matter. Rich in personality, beautifully produced, and emotionally resonant from beginning to end, it welcomes the listener into music not as entertainment but as a lively conversation between sound, memory, and imagination. It’s an album that lives up to its title in every sense of the word, painting every note in remarkable color.
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