JOSH WARREN

THE PATH

Independent Label

Josh Warren, electric bass/composer/arranger; Miles Cakebread-Kraus, guitar; Emmett Hodgins, piano; Matteo Romaniello, drums; Miles Johnson, percussion; Christian Antonacci, trumpet/flugelhorn; Ethan Zabarylo, tenor saxophone.

Josh Warren is a young bassist who recently moved from Victoria, B.C. to Toronto, Canada in search of continued musical study.  This musician writes in his press package that his album is his musical “coming-of-age” journey.  Consequently, the title of this album represents Warren’s last few years as an artist on “The Path.”

He opens with a composition called “Gratitude” that features his funky bass solo as an introduction, and a very melodic line that threads through this contemporary jazz tune.  It’s full of happy energy and was written in 2025 when he was just twenty-one-years old. “Gratitude” is one of his “single” releases from this album.

His second single release is titled “Spirits (for Jinx)” and was written about his first dog who died in the summer of 2023.  That dog was fierce, loud and full of love.  So, Josh Warren composed this song, endeavoring to capture those feelings that represent his favorite pet.

The title tune expresses Warren’s path forward and the lessons of learning he’s experienced on his musical journey.  It’s a pretty song, a ballad where Matteo Romaniello lays down a rhythmic drum pattern, in spite of the slow tempo. His drums push the song forward. I enjoy how this arrangement grows and builds. They close with “What Remains” that adds a taste of country/western to this mix of genre-blending.  The fuzzy electric guitar of Miles Cakebread-Kraus adds pop and soft rock attitude to the tune.

Using this album as a sample, I believe we can expect to hear more great things from Josh Warren in the future, as a composer, arranger and bassist.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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