Charlotte Clare
by: Constance Tucker

Where has Charlotte Clare been hiding?  Well, that is easy to answer – on the beautiful Gold Coast.  Thank goodness, she is being imported to our neck of the woods per se.  This is the real deal folks, this young lady has pipes to spare and the soulfulness of Mariah Carey, but in a jazzy setting.  Produced by legendary guitarist Louie Shelton the Christmas offering has a slick, yet accessible sound that is guaranteed to warm the cockles of your holiday collection.

Filled with recognizable Christmas nuggets, but with an island twist, the listener is immediately transported to a sunny spot on the beach sipping scrumptious libations and all the stresses of the season melt away in the Australian sun.  “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”  is flavored with congas, strings and catchy rhythms all wrapped up in a holiday sheen and topped with Clare’s very inviting, warm and soaring alto vocals.  I cannot say it enough; this is truly an enjoyable vocalist with talent oozing from every fiber of her being.

“Comfort and Joy” has a Miles Davis style trumpet sound that gives the track a cool jazz overtone. Trumpeter, Scott Browne does an outstanding job on this cut, lightly sprinkled with soft brushes from drummer, Louie Shelton and soft appropriate touches from pianist, Jacques Samuel Appapoulay the track has a true holiday jazz sound.  Clare expresses a softer side of her voice with delicate diction and warm timbres.   Shelton also delivers an inspired guitar solo.

“Jingle Bell Rock” is given a big horn sound with a prancing feel, certainly appropriate for the lyric and feeling of the lyric.  It is a fun, playful track that will immediately make your foot tap and your hips move.   Definitely what the holidays offer.  Clare’s voice is saucy and focused and Shelton’s solo is a pickin’ and grinnin’ winner.  Appapoulay adds a nice Hammond overtone to give the track a deeper gospel sound.

The Gold Coast has certainly found its gem; thank goodness they are willing to share her with us.  An Island Christmas with Charlotte Clare is a triumphant holiday recording, filled with new takes on old chestnuts, top notch production, very adept musicians and an introduction to a vocalist who will undoubtedly be the next vocal sensation in the coming year. Watch for Charlotte Clare, it will be a name you remember once you hear her sing first few notes.  Highly Recommended.

She & Him
by:  E. Garcia

Zooey had a great opportunity to create a Christmas album to coincide with the movie ELF. She had many fans like myself who have been waiting for years for a Christmas album with all the great songs from the movie. I myself was looking forward to a recording of Auld Lang Syne which was never part of the original soundtrack. Instead, Zooey decided to take Christmas classics and convert them into guitar hippie songs. There is only so much you can tweak Christmas songs before they become ruined. Baby It’s Cold Outside is probably the worst song on the CD. I’m not even sure how that’s possible. This album is a classic example of what NOT to do when recording a Christmas album. Zooey needs to re-evaluate her singing career. Her voice is perfect for jazzy, blues, old time music. Until she figures that out, she has no business recording CD’s

This album could have become a Christmas classic. Instead, it’s going in the trash.

Michael Bublé
by:  Robert S. Harmon

Christmas is an absolutely beautifully recorded and sung album by the velvety rat pack voice of Michael Buble. The arrangements are stellar featuring big band and full orchestra backings by some of the best musicians in the business with a great deal of input from Michael himself and genius producer David Foster. Additional production by Bob Rock gives an especially rewarding re-work of Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You. Michael slows the tempo way down and turns Mariah’s festive version into a very romantic and longing song of desire and passion. What a great version of one of the best Christmas songs written in the last 20 years!

Also quite amazing is Michael’s version of Christmas (Baby Please Come Home). Here he wisely sticks to Darlene Love’s original arrangement though the brass and drums are recorded so well and sound so bright it might almost make you forget her original version which is also fantastic. Buble modestly said that he might not have her pipes but he sure made up for it with his own punch and swagger. Another classic is given the Buble treatment and the listener cannot help but get drawn into the singers desire to get his baby home as soon as possible.

There are an amazing 15 songs on this version which includes all traditional songs except for one original written by Michael and his piano player Alan Chang, Cold December Night, another romantic and well sung ballad that would go quite well with an eggnog sitting by the fireplace. There are spicy versions of Holly Jolly Christmas and Jingle Bells as well as an awesome duet with Shania Twain on White Christmas that borrows a great deal from the Drifters version featured in the Home Alone movie.

Michael sings a hauntingly beautiful version of Ave Maria where he really shows the richness and clarity of his amazingly beautiful diction and singing technique. Remember this is a guy who closes out many of his concerts by putting the microphone down on the stage and singing the last song without amplification. Silent Night features a tender brass arrangement at the beginning that segues into a beautiful children’s choir that sings along with Michael.

Michael Buble’s Christmas ranks right up there with the greatest holiday records of all time by Elvis Presley, Nat King Cole and Johnny Mathis. This album is immaculately sung and well produced and is a timeless masterpiece for the ages.

Jocelyn Medina
by:  Constance Tucker

Jocelyn Medina is an accomplished and pedigreed vocalist who has studied opera at Stanford University, earned a Bachelor’s degree in professional music from Berklee College of Music and a Masters degree in Vocal Jazz Performance from Manhattan School of Music. With those qualifications it not surprising that her latest endeavor entitled We Are Water is a tour de force.

What makes an outstanding vocal release is equal parts vocal prowess coupled with and equally talented ensemble.  So, many times with vocal jazz CDs unfortunately the ensemble steps all over the vocalist overfilling the space with their voicings and ideas, and not allowing the vocalist to stretch out and create a storyline upon an uncluttered canvas, which is a complete mystery to me as to why.  Jazz is a conversation, and the conversation does not work well unless each person speaking gives the other person the space and room to speak.  However, when this level of respect occurs, magic begins.  This is the case with Medina’s ensemble, the conversation is compelling  and the ensemble is tasteful, while Medina conveys the lyrical and musical storyline, but when it’s time to solo, each musician adds to the fabric; binding and uplifting the entire project to its true purpose of bringing joy and unselfishly designed pleasure to the listener.

Brazilian flavoring is a recurring spice throughout the CD, cuts such as; “Cosmic,” and “Time and Place” are fine examples of Latin excursions.   The title track “We Are Water” is a poignant ballad that lyrically reflects the message of a better understanding of humanity.  “Natural” sports a clever lyric message that leaves the listener pondering more.

Medina offers the jazz listener a musical journey that takes the foundation of Latin and Jazz idioms and successfully redefines the experience with thought provoking lyrics and vocal abilities far beyond the norm, Medina uses her voice as an instrument, storyteller, and invites the listener to delve into the corners of their mind with lyrics that reflect life and human conditions.  Medina is a masterful lyricist, composer and vocalist.  Certainly, all of her training was a strong foundation, but to Medina’s credit – she has taken that foundation and built a skyscraper, shining in the NY sun, with We Are Water.

Various Artists
by:  Steve Sedwick

The first thing that struck me when I saw this album recommended for me was that it was going to be another of the classical music series that Amazon offers. Imagine my surprise when I saw the track listing when I came to the product page. If you like Christmas music with a more traditional sound, you should like this collection.

Sure there are many songs that you probably have in your collection already. Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas”. Gene Autry’s “Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer”. Nat King Coles “The Christmas Song”. But this collection contains many tracks that you may not have like “Jingle Bells” by the legend Les Paul or Ella Fitzgerald singing “Santa Claus Got Stuck In My Chimney”. There are even some songs that I am totally unfamiliar with like “Come Home For Christmas” by The Platters or Kay Starr singing “The Man With The Bag”.

The next thing I was curious about when I went through the song list was that some of the artists names or songs were misspelled. When I see that I also think that the quality of the recordings may also be sub-par. But the ones I have listened to so far seem to be the original recordings with very good sound quality. The one exception which seems to come from a radio show is “Look Out The Window” by the Mellomen.

While some of the songs are duplicated titles, the number of choices on this mp3 download make this point almost moot. If you are having a gathering this Christmas season or for fine background Christmas music, this is an unbeatable deal especially at the price I paid on 11/21/11 of $5.99.

Here’s hoping that this label Music Products will also release some other albums in the future. The classical music series of many tracks are fine, but there are many other genres that could use this treatment.

Mary Jenson, Beyond
by:  Constance Tucker

Mary Jenson comes from a background of diversity, which lends itself to the explorative side of jazz.  Growing up as military child, which afforded her the opportunity to live in several locations, along with college studies at UNLV and experience behind a microphone at KFMB as a DJ along with a career in the financial industry which gave Jenson the ability to obtain success.  Through her career accomplishment she was able to understand what it took to be highly successful.  After an early retirement due to her successes in her business career, Jenson got back to basics and became solely focusing on her music career.  Her sophomore release Beyond, is a jazz/world/pop fusion features 4 originals, 4 covers of contemporary pop songs and 3 jazz standards.

Kicking off the festivities is a Tom Waits classic “Temptation,” previously covered by Diana Krall, Jenson thankfully gives this song with many possibilities a new shine.  Jenson’s ethereal and spacious version has the passion of Krall’s rendition, but she takes it far enough away from Waits version to actually make this cover unique and her own.

“Come Together,” best known and penned by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, Jenson gives this cut a grooving vibe that is reminiscent of Steve Miller’s “Joker” it is hip, cool and has a dab of Indian flavor. Continuing the eastern motif “Beyond” the title cut is riveting and draws the listener in with Jenson’s convincing vocal stylings.  Jenson has a true and pure instrument and she uses it to convey compelling lyrics and inflections to convince the listener of every note.

“Anouman” is an embracing melody, one of Django’s last compositions. He recorded “Anouman” in January 1953.  Jenson offers a compelling rendition; her vocals soar and are tender yet convincing.  Reaching into her low tones, while creating breathy clarity, the listener cannot help but be infatuated with Jenson immediately.

Closing the disc is a fun ditty entitled; “Things My Mother Said” written by Frank Martin and Mary Jenson. The reminding theme throughout the cut is ‘Don’t Dish It out If You Can’t Take It’ well thank goodness Jenson is up for the job and delivers it with sincerity and technical prowess.

Beyond is an album filled with artistry and strong performances. An inspiring offering by a talented and limitless vocalist, Jenson has put together not only a journey beyond the ordinary, but a measure of what all vocalists should aspire to, worth the listen, and certainly worth the buy.

Steve Lipman, There Is A Song In My Heart
by:  Constance Tucker

Swing is an American art form most commonly attributed to recording giants Frank Sinatra, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Mel Torme, Ella Fitzgerald and beyond.  In his biography it explains, Steve Lipman’s debut recording comes from his love of this era and the respect he gained through listening to such classic artists as these, but it was one artist in particular that influenced Lipman the most and it is the chairman of the board himself.  Lipman by day runs a busy Dentistry practice in Windsor, CT., but his love of the standards is a passion he incorporates into his daily routine, in fact, he has been dubbed the singing dentist.
So to title his CD, There Is a Song in My Heart is certainly a befitting concept overall.  “Come Fly With Me” starts off the festivities and truly the sound is festive.  You can hear Lipman’s conviction in his delivery of classic gems like “You Make Me Feel So Young,” and ‘I’ve Got You Under My Skin.”

“Fly Me to the Moon” features Lipman’s own swaggered phrasing, backed by a traditionally swinging ensemble, the sound of nostalgia is heard throughout.  Trumpeter Josh Evans takes a wonderful solo with a warm and inviting tone, Lipman’s ending is an unexpected treat.

“My Way” a signature song for Sinatra is sung with sincerity towards Lipman’s inspirational icon.  Lipman certainly is doing it his way, living life, singing music that speaks to his heart and keeping the vintage sound of the classic era alive through his dentistry, gigs and now his debut recording, There is a Song in My Heart.

Jackie Evancho, Dream With Me
by:  Thomas E. Davis

I recall the chills I got when I first heard the 11-year-old Michael Jackson sing “I Want You Back.” Here was a performer with all of the soul, talent, and musical feeling of an enormously gifted adult in the body of a child.

I have a similar thrill every time I listen to the angelic Jackie Evancho, a young prodigy with unlimited potential in both classical and popular genres. Regardless of how many times I’ve seen her television debut on “America’s Got Talent” or her performances on YouTube, whether she’s singing “Silent Night” with the Canadian Tenors or “The Star-Spangled Banner” a cappella at a hockey stadium in her hometown of Pittsburgh, I still shake my head in amazement.

Watch the video from the Great Performances special “Dream with Me in Concert.” Premiering this month on PBS, it’s Jackie’s first solo concert, featuring full orchestra and chorus and producer-arranger David Foster at the piano. Try not to be stunned by the perfect poise and preternatural professionalism of this 11-year-old lyric soprano as she covers Sarah McLachlan’s song “Angel.” She’s only been singing for three years, yet it’s clear that Jackie not only feels the music coursing through her; she comprehends the technical aspects of its production and understands how to make it seem effortless.

All the songs on “Dream with Me,” Jackie’s first full-length album, have the same power and purity as “Angel.” I take special pleasure in the way she sings opera arias like “Nessun Dorma” (from Puccini’s “Turandot”), “O Mio Babbino Caro” (from Puccini’s “Gianni Schicchi”), and “Ombra Mai Fu” (from Handel’s “Serse”). She demonstrates flawless diction and phrasing, an astoundingly mature tone, and pitch-perfect vibrato.

Yet Jackie’s pop performances of “When You Wish Upon a Star” (from “Pinocchio”), “All I Ask of You” (from “Phantom of the Opera”), and “Lovers” (from the Chinese film “House of Flying Daggers”) are just as enjoyable. And she co-wrote the album’s beautiful title song! As a bonus, two renowned guests who know something about singing and appreciate talent when they hear it join Jackie in inspiring duets: Barbra Streisand on “Somewhere” and Susan Boyle on “A Mother’s Prayer.”

Jackie is blessed with loving parents and professional advisers who have allowed her to discover her gift and pursue her dreams, yet retain her childish joy and enthusiasm for music. She doesn’t know how to feign happiness or put on the airs of a diva. She is who she is: an international phenomenon in the form of a darling little girl who is having the time of her life and only wants you to enjoy it, too. And millions of people like me can’t help but respond to her radiant smile and perpetually sunny personality by falling in love with her and her miraculous voice.

An exclusive edition of “Dream With Me” with four additional tracks is available at Target stores. The songs are “Someday,” “The Impossible Dream,” “A Time For Us,” and “Mi Mancherai” (the theme from the Italian film “Il Postino”).

Tori Amos, Night of Hunters
by:  J.E. Barnes

2011 has been a troubling year for America and the West, but a good year for rock n’ roll and popular music, especially for older women artists.

Marianne Faithfull released the critically-acclaimed ‘Horses and High Heels,’ her 18th studio album, and traveled throughout the United States and Europe supporting it; Stevie Nicks released her seventh solo album, ‘In Your Dreams,’ an album which, with 2001′s ‘Trouble in Shangri-La,’ creatively revived her failing career against all odds after her 80s and 90s downturn; Blondie released their low-key and rather unadventurous ninth album, ‘Panic of Girls,’ and Kate Bush released an album of reworked songs, ‘Director’s Cut,’ and will be releasing ’50 Words For Snow,’ her first recording of new material in six years, later this year.

In the midst of this activity comes ‘Night of Hunters,’ Tori Amos’s 12th album of new material since 1992′s ‘Little Earthquakes.’ Commissioned by the prestigious German record label Deutsche Grammophon and described as “a 21st century song cycle inspired by classical music themes spanning over 400 years,” the album features eleven tracks based on the compositions of Bach, Schubert, Chopin, Debussy, Mendelssohn, Mussorgsky, and others.

About the time of Amos’s excellent second album, ‘Under the Pink’ (1994), her fans seemed to diverge into two camps: those who fairly embraced almost anything Amos released, and those who preferred what might be referred to as the ‘woman at her piano’ compositions such as ‘Winter,’ ‘Baker, Baker,’ ‘Yes, Anastasia,’ ‘Cooling,’ ‘Lust,’ ‘Josephine,’ and, later, ‘Indian Summer,’ ‘Apollo’s Frock,’ ‘Garlands,’ and ‘Snow Angel.’

The good news for both groups, especially the latter, is that ‘Night of Hunters’ features no percussion, has been recorded with string quartet Apollon Musagète and arranger John Philip Shenale, and very much revolves around Amos at her piano, which is quite suitable, since Amos began her music instruction at a very young age at the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, Maryland.

Does ‘Night of Hunters’ sound anything like Amos’s previous work? Are there any Amos ‘classics’ among the eleven tracks?

The answer to both questions is ‘Yes’: the most outstanding track may be the majestic and passionate ‘Star Whisperer’ (based on Schubert’s Piano Sonata in A major D 959), which is passionate in the tradition of the live version of ‘Sugar’ (from ‘To Venus & Back,’ 1999) and the title track from 2002′s ‘Scarlet’s Walk.’ ‘Night of Hunters’ (Scarlatti’s Sonata in F minor K. 466 and Gregorian Chant ‘Salva Regina’) is almost equally passionate, and also somewhat frightening, as only Amos can be: at points, the track sounds as if the Furies are descending.

‘Fearlessness’ has something of the drive of ‘Carbon’ and ‘Tombigbee,’ the catchy but serious-minded ‘Job’s Coffin’ features an excellent lead vocal by Amos’s young daughter Natashya Hawley, ‘Nautical Twilight’ features something of the playfulness of ‘The Wrong Band,’ ‘Wednesday,’ and ‘Velvet Revolution,’ while the closing track, ‘Carry’ (framed around a Debussy piece) is very much in the melancholy-but-hopeful tradition of past Amos closing tracks such as ‘A Thousand Oceans,’ ‘Gold Dust,’ ‘Toast,’ and ‘Our New Year.’

If the album stumbles, it does so at the beginning: The opening line of first track ‘Shattering Sea’ (Alkan’s Song of the Madwoman on the Sea-Shore, Prelude op. 31 no. 8), “That is not my blood on the bedroom floor,” is delivered melodramatically rather than dramatically, and, musically speaking, the composition simply isn’t compelling.

‘Battle of Trees,’ the third track, which is based on Erik Satie’s very short, mischievous, and elfin Gnossienne no. 1, is slowed to a crawl and extended to more than eight minutes. The result is flat, tepid, and considerably stalls the forward motion of the whole.

Whether ‘Night of Hunters’ is indeed “the best thing Amos has released in over a decade,” as some of the early reviews have claimed, will be up to each listener to decide. It may be that ‘Night of Hunters’ is simply a little purer than ‘The Beekeeper’ (2005), ‘American Doll Posse’ (2007), and the generally underrated ‘Abnormally Attracted to Sin’ (2009).

Most fans and listeners who enjoyed Amos’s holiday/solstice album, ‘Midwinter’s Graces’ (2009), will readily be able to embrace and recommend the beautiful, highly accomplished ‘Night of Hunters.’

Lastly: is Tori Amos one of the preeminent musical artists of her era? Undoubtedly.

Aimée Allen, Winters & Mays
by:  Constance Tucker

Dream, Allen’s debut into the national scene introduced the listener to Allen with a predominately jazz standards overview and Allen’s ability as an arranger was immediately evident.  Her second recording l’Inexplicable, released in 2007, featured all original French tracks and began to show the listener the breadth of Allen’s abilities. With the release of Allen’s third outing Winters & Mays, her abilities as a composer, songstress and lyricist burgeoned to the forefront.

Allen is joined by Guitarist Pete McCann, pianist Toru Dodo, bassist Craig Akin, and drummer Jacob Melchior, along with accordion virtuoso Victor Prieto who is a guest artist on three tracks, which gives the recording an international flavor.