Anthony Strong
(voice, piano); Tom Farmer, Calum Gourlay (bass); Sebastian De Krom (drums,
percussion); Matt Skelton (drums); Chris Allard (guitars); James Morrison
(trumpet); Brandon Allen, Nigel Hitchcock (tenor sax) + Also string
section.
(Review by Ann Alex)
I seem to have
reviewed lots of CDs featuring women singers lately, so what a pleasant change
to hear a CD with a male vocalist, and one who is also a skilled pianist. This is Anthony Strong’s début CD album. We kick off with staccato piano chords for Too Darn Hot, a pleasant light-toned voice, a sax solo, then continue with witty words and fast piano for Change My Ways. Luck Be a Lady is done with a lively latin rhythm, including the verse; an unexpected Kurt Weill song appears, My Ship; then a slow, romantic Stevie Wonder number, Overjoyed. The title track, Stepping Out With My Baby, is a real swinger with bell-like percussion. Other jazz standards include My Foolish Heart; Witchcraft, and When I Fall in Love. The album finishes with a sad song about coming to terms with the end of a relationship Learning To Unlove You. The musicians do their stuff well, but with short solos, so attention is very much on the singer and his piano.
The official release
date is April 8, (Naive Records) and Anthony Strong will be
launching the album at the Hippodrome in London
Ann Alex.
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