Bonnie Raitt, Slipstream
by: Rudy P.

“Slipstream” is first and foremost the story of an artist returning to her realm after a long dry spell, rediscovering her fountain of inspiration and acquiring the drive to once again practice her craft. Since that artist happens to be Bonnie Raitt, one of America’s most iconic and important musicians, it comes as no surprise that it is an enlightening, hearty listen with a feels-like-home comfortability.

The seven-year gap between “Slipstream” and 2005′s terrific “Souls Alike” is the longest Raitt has taken between studio efforts, understandable since her life in the interim has been fraught with loss – of parents, of brother, of best friend. While that certainly can be read as informing her soul-searching take on Bob Dylan’s masterpiece “Standing in the Doorway” and the aching piano/vocal “God Only Knows,” the album only occasionally dips its toe into the deep end of introspection. In fact, the only tune Raitt co-writes here is the rambunctious, sing-songy “Down to You.”

This is music with a joyful edge, crafted for the simple pleasure of craft (an artist of Raitt’s stature taking such a long gap between records indicates a lack of prioritizing sales or hits) and therefore of great interest to her longtime devotees. It doesn’t have the radio-friendly edge of earlier recordings, and it need not. A few songs have a similar bite, especially at the core of the LP, but listeners on the market for a new Raitt album – and there are more than a few of them – will certainly be pleased.

Randall Bramlett’s “Used to Rule the World” kicks off the album with funky, slamming, kinetic instrumentation. Raitt’s playing is prominent, large and boisterous, firmly establishing that time has not frayed her resolve. Similar can be said of Paul Brady and Michael O’Keefe’s witty, biting “Marriage Made in Hollywood,” which Raitt wraps her voice around with cool, supple assurance, as well as “Right Down the Line” with its Caribbean flourishes and sure-footed percussion.

The meditative, silky “Take My Love With You” and “Not Cause I Wanted To” showcase Raitt’s elegant, quiet passion as a vocalist. The intimate, unobtrusive nature of the recording allows the songs to furrow into the mind and summon repeated listens. This is music that breathes, as the lady behind it surely intended.

With “Slipstream” Raitt resurfaces in radiant, surefooted fashion, confident in her abilities, hungry to record new tunes and hit the road to play them for audiences. After 40 years in the business she retains a disproportionate amount of soul, vigor and longing. Listeners are blessed to have her.

Noah Jones, Little Broken Hearts
by:  L. Uigi

“LITTLE BROKEN HEARTS” is a little different for Nora Jones, yet nothing drasticly so. She probably said it best herself when she mentioned that the ‘Producer’, DANGER MOUSE, took her out of her “known zone”, but she didn’t feel out of her “comfort zone”. Different elements like ‘tremolo’ throughout much of the album, gives a little flavor of perhaps the ‘spagetti western sound’ of the 60′s. A sound that a producer like ‘T BONE BURNETT’ might use, or a musical artist in the vein of ‘CHRIS ISAAK’, especially his earlier work. With that said, I would love to see ‘JONES’ & ‘ISAAK’ work together; that would be a great match. This album is not so much the rather quiet jazz album that her 1st mega hit, “COME AWAY WITH ME” was.

Shall we mention by the way what a ‘huge’ hit that became! After a rather slow start, 2002′s “COME AWAY WITH ME” album grabbed ’8′ Grammys at the 2003 awards show. ‘Five’ went to “Nora Jones” alone. They were: *BEST NEW ARTIST; *ALBUM OF THE YEAR; *BEST POP VOCAL ALBUM; *BEST FEMALE POP VOCAL, for ‘DON’T KNOW WHY’ from the album; and *RECORD OF THE YEAR, for the Single, ‘DON’T KNOW WHY’. The other ‘ 3 ‘ awards were: *BEST ENGINEERED ALBUM-Non Classical; *PRODUCER OF THE YEAR(Arif Mardin); and *SONG OF THE YEAR(Jessie Harris); for ‘DON’T KNOW WHY’. -Also, it’s become the biggest selling U.S. album of the last decade. U.S. sales total nearly ” 11 Million” according to Billboard. WORLDWIDE sales stand at “22.5 Million”. Yet, Nora remains humble about it saying that she thought it might sale around ” 10,000 “!

OK, so “LITTLE BROKEN HEARTS” probably won’t be as big. What could be? That’s a once in a lifetime thing! Still, you can’t keep trying to repeat the same exact sound. And she has said as much, that she didn’t want to repeat the same formula.She’s made it fresh and interesting by changing things up a bit. And yet there’s familiarity too. Listen to the beautiful, soothing sound of “MIRIAM”. The prettiest song on the album, could have very easily fit on “COME AWAY WITH ME”. However, the lyrics of betrayal belie the caressing, comforting feeling of the music. A little dark. Elsewhere you’ll find some tunes that are more upbeat musically & lyrically. In other words, there’s versatility to this project & experimenting with the textures, without going too far.

This is a very good, solid collection of songs, that you’ll get more out of the more times you listen to it. Of course there’s varying opinions as you can read here. Like they say: ["Opinions, - everybody's got one"!] If you like NORA’S voice, there are no drastic enough changes that change that. The ‘voice’ is still there front a center. The music here never “overwelms” her voice. It only complements it in a little different setting.

Susan Krebs, Everything Must Change
by:  Constance Tucker

Supported by her long-time collaborators Rich Eames on piano and Jerry Kalaf on drums, and featuring Brian McGillicuddy on bass and Chuck Manning on saxophones, Everything Must Change is truly a jazz offering that stands out head and shoulders above the plethora of vocal jazz CDs.  Krebs embraces each tune with a keen sense of storytelling.  She does not settle for just hitting the right notes or singing in a pretty fashion.  Her interpretations truly push and pull each composition to its fullest potential engaging the listener’s to delve further into the message of change.

Freddy Hubbard’s “Up Jumped Spring” starts off the disc and immediately you know this is much more than a run of the mill vocal jazz CD.   Her ability to own the melody and convey the lyric with conviction and originality cements the notion you are witnessing a true song stylist. 

“What Is This Thing Called Love” allows the listener to glimpse Krebs in an introspective transition that aluminates with a sultry chanteuse afterglow.   It was difficult to choose what cut represented Krebs the best, as each track had its own special fabric that weaves the entire release together with the one undeniable quality, Krebs vocals.  She makes it seem so simple, but in fact many vocalists fall short when it comes to delivering song lyrics that rely on the vocalist to give the lyric meaning.  Krebs is a gifted raconteur, and Everything Must Change is worth adding to your collection for a fresh take on classic opuses.

Lisa Maxwell, Happy
by: Constance Tucker

While the world is has no shortage of Independent jazz vocalists, thankfully Maxwell conveys with an unpretentious and delightfully easy-going delivery.  While much of the material here is familiar standards and recognizable pop songs, Maxwell’s delightful way interpreting the true meaning of each cut allows the songs to take on a fresh perspective that neither disrespects the writer’s intention or the spirit of the song.

Opening with “I’ll Take Romance,” there is an subtly to the swing that is underpinned by Keith Ingram’s smart and intoxicating support all the while allowing Maxwell to paint her vocal interpretations.  ”Someone To Watch Over Me,” is a moving tune sincerely delivered and adorned with Maxwell’s gentle ability to swing with stylishness. “Skylark” though a widely covered cut, is given a new treatment and truly shines as one of Maxwell’s more convincing tracks on this delightful offering.

Happy is truly an engaging offering with a mix of well-chosen standards and a pinch of well-placed classic adult contemporary hits, given a proper dressing of jazz.  Maxwell delivers a lasting impression of blissfull Happiness and lasting Happy.

Tracks: I’ll Take Romance; You Can’t Lose A Broken Heart; Sunday In New York; The Folks Who Live On The Hill; It Might As Well Be Spring; Someone To Watch Over Me; My Heart Goes With You; This Is Always; Going Out Of My Head; Blue Moon; Under A Blanket Of Blue; June Nights; Skylark; A Wonderful Guy.

Personnel: Lisa Maxwell: vocals; Keith Ingham: piano; Frank Tate: bass; Steve Little: drums; Al Gafa: guitar; Ben Wittman: percussion.

Pamela Hines, Lucky’s Boy
by:  Constance Tucker

Lucky’s Boy is the creation of composer, and veteran New England pianist Pamela Hines. Hines is joined by the long time collaborating rhythm section of John Lockwood on bass and Les Harris, Jr. on drums. While some always consider when a vocalist sings that the recording is his or her album, what has to be taken into consideration is the composer.  Though April Hall is featured on vocals on this original outing, the entire set is devoted to Hines’ originals, which clearly makes this a Hines release and April Hall a guest artist who is the conduit on of Hines’ message.

Pamela Hines’ songwriting is reminiscent of jazz standards, both lyrically and instrumentally. Ballads are skillfully featured and make up a predominate tone of this set, but even the more up-tempo tunes have a thoughtful and mid-tempo contemplative feel.  By no means is this a brooding or gloomy release, in fact Hines’ lyrics are uplifting and positive in nature, and for this listener not being beat over the head with layers of textures and disjointed chaos is a welcomed listen.  Hines knows how to write ala standards formatting. Her originals are completely reminiscent harmonically of the Great American Songbook classics, which are called standards because they have stood the test of time.  Subtle displays of virtuosity from everyone lend to the music they are presenting in this context.  Hines is certainly a skilled technician and has nimble chops to spare, but her solos always serve the musical content, whether instrumental or vocal compositions.

Standouts include “Dreamerman” and “Spectrum,” both contain complex harmonic ideas with multifarious solos, but Hines never loses her focus or steps beyond the needs of the composition, in fact, her hints of staying on the edge, create even more interest in the cuts themselves, and vocalist April Hall certainly keeps the pace on each tune, providing a bluesy timbre and clear focused notes to convey the composers concepts with precision.

Between Hines’ sensitive and intuitive playing and Hall’s spot on vocal interpretation, each cut has its own message and stays on point.  For listeners seeking an original voice and well-crafted compositions, coupled with a stellar ensemble this is the album for you. Very Highly Recommended!

Whitney Houston, Greatest Hits
by: J. Derek Reardon

Whitney Houston is one of the key reasons I fell in love with music. I have loved her music ever since “The Greatest Love of All.” And despite her recent personal turmoil (and several cancelled concerts over the years in my home town), I still hold Whitney Houston in the highest regard. This Greatest Hits compilation is great, whether you are a long-time or a new fan, whether you have all her CDs or own none, whether you love Whitney herself or whether you simply love that beautiful, soulful, and inspirational message that music can generate. Greatest Hits is a fantastic piece of music history that is a pleasure to own and enjoy.

This is a 2 CD set, which is easy to fathom given Whintey’s success over the past almost 20 years. The first CD is entitled “Cool Down,” which is appropriate given it features Whitney’s slower power ballads, putting you in a calm, mellow, inspired place. While most of the songs are known to us all, of special note are the duets. “If You Say My Eyes Are Beautiful,” a duet with Jermaine Jackson, is a rare, beautiful, and wondrous gem. “Same Script, Different Cast” is a beautiful and haunting ballad featuring Deborah Cox. And Diane Warren produces another anthemic ballad masterpiece with “Could I Have This Kiss Forever” featuring Enrique Iglesias. While there are bound to be some omissions, most notably missing on this CD is “When You Believe,” Whitney’s duet with Mariah Carey that garnered and Oscar nomination.

Lyle Lovett, Release Me
by:  M. Mariba

This is a very impressive new CD release by the 4-time Grammy Award winner & country singer-songwriter Lyle Lovett. The CD, titled ‘Release Me’, features Lyle Lovett on a roll delivering a well balanced excursion/mixture of (1) country music in tracks : “Release Me”, “Brown Eyed Handsome Man” & “Keep It Clean”; (2) bluesy tracks in “White Boy Lost In The Blues”, “White Freightliner Blues” & “The Girl With The Holiday Smile” & (3) folk/americana/pop tracks in “Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom” (Irish influenced up-tempo instrumental track), “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”, “Isn’t That So”, “Understand You”, “One Way Gal”, “Dress Of Laces”, “Night’s Lullaby” & “Keep Us Steadfast”.
Stand-outs/gems/solid tracks are “Release Me”, title track with great violin & vocals; “Isn’t That So”, which has wonderful melody; “Understand You”, has great guitar finger pick-ups & melody; “Dress Of Laces” & my favourite track from this album “Night’s Lullaby”.

On overall, I’m bowled over by Lyle Lovett’s latest offering ‘Release Me’, a well rounded CD release, highly recommended CD listening & a well deserved 5 star performance!

Sylvia Bennett, Sonrie
by:  Constance Tucker

Italian born Sylvia Bennett equally known for her stint with Lionel Hampton as his protégé vocalist, a Grammy Nomination and a catalog of her own recordings raises the stakes once again with her latest endeavor Sonríe.

Motivated by her passion for Latin music and culture, Sonríe realizes one of Sylvia Bennett’s most cherished dreams: a Spanish-language delivery of timeless classics.   What inspired me was Bennett’s impeccable delivery of the Spanish language; her ability to articulate the accents in the right spots and to not homogenize the entire offering, this premise is the cornerstone to this entire release. Bennett no question has a warm inviting tone that instantly captures you.   Though foreign languages are not new to Bennett (sings in French, Spanish and English) it is the authenticity of her delivery in Sonrie that takes this recording to an entirely different level.

Joined again by producer Hal Batt, the two have concocted a wonderfully conceived mix of ballads and love songs, which accentuate Bennett’s smooth delivery.  Enhanced with nylon sounds from the Vienna Strings’ these lush arrangements remind me of Diana Krall’s The Look of Love, but offered in a Latin setting with a bit more spice.

Consuelo Velasquez Torres Ortiz’s internationally recognized “Bésame Mucho” is passionate and poignant, aptly conveyed by pianist Mike Levine and guitarist/producer Hal S. Batt.  Bennett is offered a palate of colors and textures to build upon and steps up to the task with a breezy delivery that transports the listener to beaches and cool drinks.

Bennett and her traverse through some of the most well-known landscapes of jazz and Latin classics, but each one is given its own unique sound and deliveries making this a definitive listen for Latin Jazz lovers.   Renditions of “Perfidia” and Alvaro Carrillo’s immortal “Sabor a Mi,” are gleaming examples, Bennett sings  with as much refinement and savor in Spanish as we all have grown to expect from her in English, how could not Sonrie .

Track Listing: Mirada de Amor; Besame Mucho; Por Ti; Sonrie; Quien Sera; Somos Novios; Cuando Vuelva a Tu Lado; Tanto Vivir; Perfidia; La Sombra de Tu Amor; El Reloj; Sabor a Mi.

Personnel: Sylvia Bennett: vocals; Mike Levine: piano, Vienna Strings arrangements; Chuck Bergeron: bass (1, 4, 7, 8, 10); Ranses Colon: bass (2, 3, 5, 6, 9); Richard Bravo: drums, percussion (1, 4, 7, 10); Hal S. Batt: guitars; Geremy Miller: violin (1, 4, 7, 10).

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.