Pablo Embon – Plateaus And Other Enchanted Lands

Pablo Embon – Plateaus And Other Enchanted Lands – Album Review

I mean…I was already enjoying myself as “Jingle Jells” began, but once we got to the saxophone coming into the mix before the first minute was up, it was game over – I knew I was going to have great things to say about this opening track on Pablo Embon’s new album Plateaus And Other Enchanted Lands.  A trip through the landscape of Jazz in a variety of ways, Embon keeps the instrumentation in rotation as he cycles through a wealth of different sounds to start up his latest record.  Engaging, lively, and filled with radiantly colorful vibes that spring from your speakers, “Jingle Jells” quickly proves to be an excellent way to get things going – which I’m thankful for, because I had concerns with the title.  Before I pushed play, I had to at least wonder if we were about to get our first Christmas song in September, which would be a giant no no here at this site of ours…so yes…obviously the title is a purposeful play on the Christmas classic you probably know and love, but thankfully that’s where the comparisons end.  It’s the pure smooth Jazz packed with personality that Pablo is known for, which was all I was hoping for.  I don’t want Christmas tunes in December, let alone any other month of the year…so yes indeed, I was very pleased to discover that “Jingle Jells” is just a great tune with no yuletide affiliations that I know of.

The man’s gifted – let’s get that straight right off the bat.  I remember when we reviewed Embon’s last album Where We Came From back in August of last year, which really isn’t that long ago in the grand scheme of things – and I remember that record coming out really well for him too.  As I listened to “Pushing My Luck” on Plateaus And Other Enchanted Lands, a couple of things struck me as important to point out to ya.  One would be that, somehow, Pablo’s music might very well sound even better than it did to me last time around, which is really saying something – and the other thing that caught my attention was how little time there truly was between his last album and this one.  I mention that, because by all accounts, the music he makes is complex and involved and takes a tremendous amount of skill and focus to create…and he’s essentially defying the odds by being able to put out something that sounds as excellent as “Pushing My Luck” does in such a relatively short amount of time.  Like, if Pablo was able to put out a record of this kind of quality with such impressive attention to detail year after year after year, it would be a superhuman accomplishment.  I was thrilled with the piano-led groove and adventurous musicianship of “Pushing My Luck” – it sounds gorgeous, it moves with a very unique swagger of its own design, and whether it’s the violin, the drums, the guitar, or anywhere else your ears might turn their attention towards, you’ll find nothing but skilled composition coursing through this cut.

“Fly-Away Dreams” does wonders to speak on behalf of the sonic diversity you’ll find in an album like this.  Many folks out there hear the word Jazz, and they assume the music has to be one kind of thing – but it’s tracks like this that prove the opposite is true.  While we can definitely debate whether a song like “Fly-Away Dreams” belongs in the Jazz section or is really more of something like a Cinematic instrumental, there are plenty of crossover elements in a composition like this that actually broaden the spectrum of its appeal.  I found this track to be endlessly fascinating when it comes right down to it.  Pablo gets in an exquisite amount of wonder-filled drama into the music, and it really does play like a movie in your mind as you listen to it.  This is the kind of song that has you realizing how much potential a musician like Embon has, and how many different places his music could end up.  I’d absolutely listen to a song like “Fly-Away Dreams” for my own enjoyment, because it’s brilliantly well-executed and all kinds of interesting, but this could easily be part of a soundtrack of some sort to reach the masses as well.  Could be a game, could be a movie…you get the idea – a song like this can fit just about anywhere.

While I firmly believe that titles for instrumental music are often insightful clues as to what a song might be like to listen to or what it might be about, there are certainly moments where you end up wondering what those tie-ins could possibly be.  Like, take “Good Days Ahead” for example.  Chances are, just by reading that title, you’re expecting a happy go lucky, sunshiny tune…but this is really anything but that.  That’s kind of what makes it even more interesting to me – because for some reason, it made sense for Pablo to associate what you’ll hear with “Good Days Ahead” – and once you have a listen for yourself, you’ll probably be just as curious about why that would be as I am.  Don’t get it twisted – I don’t NEED a song’s title to echo what it’s about or how it would sound, and I personally like to be surprised – but I’d assume that “Good Days Ahead” will likely be about 180 degrees different than what people would expect to find.  In any event, I’d be willing to bet that no matter what anyone’s expectations would be about a song called “Good Days Ahead,” that they’ll be stoked to discover what they find in this track.  It’s filled with absolutely inspired twists and turns as it transitions between the mysterious and curious sounds it displays, revealing an award-worthy level of composition that is equally as impressive as the execution is.  To say that “Good Days Ahead” is stunning wouldn’t even cover it – it’s really one of the most impressive, adventurous, and ambitious songs that I’ve heard in 2025 – you could listen to this track a hundred times in a row and you’d still feel like you’re hearing something exciting & new within it.

Now…allow me to blow your mind for a moment.  You wanna know the full list of credits that come along with Plateaus And Other Enchanted Lands?  Here – I’ll list them for you:  Pablo Embon.  That is it.  That is all.  What you’re hearing on this album comes from the musical mind and talents of just ONE person – and ain’t that incredible?  No joke, it drops my jaw in amazement to think that ONE dude was able to do all of what you hear on a song like “Good Days Ahead” – that’s honestly phenomenal.  Even on ideas that might have less appeal to them, like the heavy, airy vibes of a track like “With Your Eyes On The Wind” – it’s still more than impressive when you consider that it’s the work of merely ONE man.  A superhuman man, clearly, but ONE man all the same.  Pablo should be more than proud of what he’s created…this whole album sounds magnificent, and no matter which track you click on, you’re bound to discover something that really speaks to you.  The subtle way that “With Your Eyes On The Wind” moves is another stroke of understated genius as far as I’m concerned.  I think it’s a bit more niche to a degree when it comes to its appeal to the masses perhaps, but I also think that if you’ve made it to this point in the record, chances are it’s because you’ve been interested in everything you’ve heard along the way.  “With Your Eyes On The Wind” might not be most people’s number one favorite on the album, but I’m quite positive that no one would feel cheated by what they hear in it – it’s still another fantastic song.

In fact, I’d probably tell ya that I liked “With Your Eyes On The Wind” more than I liked “Derailed” right after it.  I understand that I’m not everyone, but I’m sure at least a few of you might agree with me on that.  “Derailed” is an interesting tune…the kind of song that plays like a story with chapters and all the detail you wanna find, whereas “With Your Eyes On The Wind” stays within a more stationary sound & idea, which again, might have a narrower appeal for the overall audience.  What makes the difference to me, is that the core concept and ideas on a song like “With Your Eyes On The Wind” all sounds so impeccably focused & decisive, whereas “Derailed” felt like it was searching for that kind of inspired spark.  It’ll find it in multiple places mind you, but it almost feels like it’s a whole bunch of mini-songs strung together to form one big one – make sense?  Nothing wrong with that of course, but it’s the difference between feeling like you get to spend a ton of time with a great idea, like you do on “With Your Eyes On The Wind,” versus cycling through a series of good ideas, like “Derailed” provides.  Once again, you’ll also find that Cinematic-type of direction takes the lead on “Derailed” as well, which shifts Pablo’s music further towards the fringe of Jazz, even if you’re arguing that it’s fusion-based.  Labels don’t often help that much in this day & age though…everyone’s become a hybrid of sorts, and I think that’s likely for the best anyhow.  There’s no reason for any artist to get tied down to one specific style.

It was like Pablo heard my thoughts though, and takes the record back into more tangible Jazz terrain on “Breaking The Undone.”  The question becomes, is a song like this enough now that we’ve experienced such extraordinarily ambitious tracks like “Derailed” or “Good Days Ahead” that possess a much wider range of creativity?  Can we settle for tracks like “Breaking The Undone” or “With Your Eyes On The Wind” that are more content to remain within the same relative gear from beginning to end, or has Embon stirred up our need for diversity and versatility to be what we’re now looking for in each track?  That’s not to say there aren’t still changes being made along the way in cuts like “Breaking The Undone” – there are, but it’s not a pronounced priority like you’ll find the ever-morphing sounds of songs like “Good Days Ahead” contain.  It’s a double-edged sword in the sense that a diverse lineup can always be a great tool to keep listeners engaged, but at the same time, having some songs in one style and others in another can end up creating a restlessness in listeners as they await their personal favorite style of sound to come back around.  So even though at track seven on his new record, Embon has now fully established that he’s likely to go back & forth between different styles and you’d hope that anyone sticking with the album would get that, there’s still risk that’s inherently interconnected with versatility.  Like, I enjoyed “Breaking The Undone” personally, but even I’d have the occasional time where I’d spin through this album over the past week and feel like this song brings the established momentum to a bit of a halt by comparison to Embon’s most ambitious tracks on Plateaus And Other Enchanted Lands.

Similar to how “Good Days Ahead” defied our assumptions with how it would sound, “The Lost Battle” works in the same way, it just happens to be in the opposite direction.  Whereas you’d likely have expected calm and serene sounds on “Good Days Ahead,” you’d probably be thinking you’d encounter a more raging type of diversity on “The Lost Battle” – but neither track will accurately tip you off to what you’ll hear based on title alone.  That calm serenity you were thinking you’d have found on “Good Days Ahead” has been saved for “The Lost Battle” instead…which really does make you curious about how either track earned their titles.  I like “The Lost Battle” – I don’t think there will ever be much, if anything, that I don’t like by Pablo Embon when it comes right down to it, but I would also acknowledge that with “Breaking The Undone” and this track being featured back-to-back, this particular point in the album feels like it’s moving at the slowest of paces.  The warm glow of “The Lost Battle” is well worth listening to…it’s got a whole sound that envelops you snugly, and I think listeners will appreciate that.  Is it the most exciting track you’re going to hear in 2025?  No – but regardless, it’s still a high quality tune.

“With You Again” might have been the tougher track for Pablo to get dialed-in to his creative standards, as it was being remixed right down to the wire as I was writing this review.  Featuring vocals!  If there’s a twist in this record you won’t see coming, it’s Embon singing a song after having heard nothing but the eight instrumentals beforehand.  So how does he do?  I think the music itself tells the full tale already.  I think the fact that Embon has presented himself to mainly be an instrumental artist would tell you much of what you need to know…that that’s where his main strengths lie…but I think you’ll also be pleasantly surprised at how well he can hold his own on the microphone.  “With You Again” is a love song – and chances are, this particular track has vocals because it’s designed for an audience of one – but it’s nice that he chose to share it with us as well.  I’d be willing to bet this song was created for one specific person to hear it, and hopefully they do.  In that respect, does it need to impress us at all?  I mean, it’s still fair game if it’s going to be included on the album, but no, we wouldn’t be as important to the equation as the one person that Pablo is likely singing to here.  That’s the audience & opinion that really matters, and the rest of us get to enjoy this sweet song from the sidelines.  I’ve got no substantial complaints here – I think Pablo knows what we all know…he’s a good singer, and when called upon, he can do it competently.  Is his voice going to steal the show?  I don’t really think that’s the case, but I also don’t think it needs to be – he sang “With You Again” well enough to be proud of it, and that’s just fine.

While it’s another highly delicate song appearing in a fairly long string of them in the second half of this album, I thought “What Makes You Feel Stronger” was a gentle highlight in this lineup overall.  It’s not only clever, but it’s a lot more complex than it would appear to be at first.  The further you go into it, the more you’ll appreciate how a simple ingredient like guitar can be used so effectively to create a whole variety of entertainment.  At a short 2:31, I have no doubt that “What Makes You Feel Stronger” will likely fly right by a ton of listeners as they check out Plateaus And Other Enchanted Lands, but I feel like it will eventually get its due share of the credit in time.  To a degree, it’s like Embon is noodling away on his own, almost unaware that we’re all listening…that’s what it’s like to listen to this track – but how cool would that be if that was really the case, right?  Imagine walking into a room where this song was being recorded – you’d sit right down to listen, mesmerized by the sound of what’s taking place and the technique that Pablo applies when playing it.  Of all the songs on this album, “What Makes You Feel Stronger” is easily one of the most understated gems, but it really captures the man’s humble persona.

The same is somewhat true of “2005 After The Rain” as well to an extent, though Pablo has given himself a little more runway to make an impact on ya with this song being nearly double the length of the last one before it.  It’s still a very quaint and mellow type of tune, and it feels like the exciting, multi-layered type of compositions we experienced in the first half of this album have gone away by this point, but I feel like most listeners will still be satisfied with what they hear even if they might not necessarily be thrilled by how delicate this album becomes.  I’ll admit, my first couple times listening to Plateaus And Other Enchanted Lands had me feeling a little restless at times as I spun my way through the latter half of the record and I kind of felt that longing for the most intricate and involved compositions that Embon had revealed to us earlier on, but there’s no doubt he’s still put in the work and created quality tunes.  On this “Re-Orchestrated” version of “2005 After The Rain,” I think he’s got a fairly charming cut that’ll have no real problem endearing itself to listening ears…it’s not going to be the most dynamic track you’ll hear this year, but it’s still got a fascinating melody at the core of it to keep your engaged.

Finishing things off with “Three Minutes Away” – a 12 string guitar duo – Pablo brings his latest album to a close on one last gentle track.  It’s been an interesting mix of songs, moods, and atmospheres found throughout this whole record, where I’d say very few of them are governed by the principles of Jazz that we typically tend to associate with the genre.  Like I was tellin’ you earlier, hybrid artists and bands are ruling the music scene right now anyway…so switching things up is usually a good thing.  “Three Minutes Away” is a pretty gorgeous song all said & done in my opinion – I really like the way Embon plays guitar, and I always feel like the heart he puts into his material shines right through it as we listen.  Whether it’s twelve strings or six, the guy does good work – and as I mentioned earlier, with Embon being solely responsible for everything you’ll hear on this album, you’ve gotta give him major credit for being so remarkably multi-talented.  Obviously dedicated to every aspect of the craft, he makes even the most unassuming moments of an album like this sparkle and shine, and there might be no better example of that than what you’ll experience in this low-key finale of “Three Minutes Away.”  I think he’s presented some really brilliant ideas with tracks like “Good Days Ahead” that show us some of the most ambitious ideas & professional execution we’ve heard from him to-date, but I also think there’s definitely a place for tracks like “Three Minutes Away” as well, that might not be as complex or involved on a technical level, but speak strongly to the hearts & minds listening for the emphasis on pure melody and emotion.  Content-wise, I’d understand if some folks felt like there was a bit of an imbalance to some of the material on Plateaus And Other Enchanted Lands to a degree, but at the same time, the quality and commitment in Pablo’s performances never wavers one iota, which reveals a real confidence in his new songs that’s highly enticing to listen to & creates an imaginative experience that’ll appeal to many of ya.

Find out more about Pablo Embon from his official website at:  https://pfembon.wixsite.com/website

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