"Maternity Beat is, no doubt, the most ambitious work to date of Norwegian adventurous guitarist, bandleader, composer and now also arranger Hedvig Mollestad. This compassionate and emotional work offers deeply personal meditations on the nature of family and Mollestad's own privileged experiences with parenting and nurturing. These thoughts and reflections are contrasted by pressing social justice issues that prevent all humans from achieving equality and value ... It expands Mollestad's musical vision far beyond the Mahavishnu Orchestra-inspired fire music that has made her trio heavyweights in 21st-century fusion and jazz-metal. Mollestad's guitar parts and solos stress a more orchestral and even psychedelic prog-rock and spiritual jazz leanings and rely less on the familiar fusion-metallic killer riffs of her trio ... A bold and daring statement, but also a thoughtful and inspiring and most compassionate one"

"Maternity Beat is a collaborative wonder and the most important album in either Mollestad's or TJO's catalogs. Together, they sustain the concept with stellar execution and enviable focus. They simultaneously impart joy, drama, and intensity with inspiration, remarkable technique, and sheer grit"

Vurdering: 3/5