Lauren Kinhan – vocal; Andy Ezrin –
piano, Fender Rhodes & B3 organ; Ben Wittman – drums & percussion;
David Finck – bass; Will Lee – bass.
Special guests: Randy Brecker –
trumpet; Romero Lubambo – guitar; Chuck Loeb – guitar; Donny McCaslin – tenor
saxophone; Joel Frahm – tenor saxophone; Gary Versace – accordion; Peter
Eldridge – piano.
(Review by
Debra Milne).
Lauren Kinhan is an established American jazz singer and songwriter, best
known for her longstanding involvement in New York Voices , and also as a member
of ‘vocal supergroups’ Moss and JaLaLa,
the latter a trio with Manhattan Transfer ‘s Janis Siegel and Laurel Masse. Circle In A Square is her 3rd solo album, and is composed of entirely
original material, recorded with a core of longstanding musical collaborators
and a host of special guests. She
co-produced the project with Elliott Scheiner , whose previous credits include
albums with Steely Dan, Sting,
Paul Simon & BB King , and no less than 7 Grammys.
The album showcases Kinhan’s soul
infused jazz voice,
particularly in the up
tempo numbers. However, the first
and title track, inspired by her
husband’s love of his record collection,
starts quietly with Brecker
& Ezrin accompanying sparingly on trumpet and Fender Rhodes , before the rhythm section
kicks in with a laid back groove. I’m
Looking For That Number is
particularly funky, augmented by a punchy horn section, with one of several
great solos from Ezrin, this time on B3 organ .
Kinhan’s soulful delivery is particularly
effective in Another Hill To Climb, where the piano and string quartet augment the developing emotion of the vocal.
In contrast, Chasing The Sun
is a rhythmic, groove based, Latin infused, wordless piece, composed of layers of voices and instruments,
overlaid with scat improvisation and Romero Lubambo’s solo on guitar.
A
straightforward piano trio suffices in
the contemplative We’re Not Going Anywhere
Today, and her excellent intonation and scatting are highlights of the bebop style Bear Walk, which also features
a fine electric bass solo from
Will Lee, and Randy Brecker on
trumpet. Kinhan makes a distinctive contribution to the shoe-
related musical canon with Chaussure’s Complex, a sensuous tango
featuring Gary Versace on accordion , although
it is unlikely to displace Kirsty
McColl, Paul Simon or Elvis
Costello as leaders of the Footwear Top Ten*. Nevertheless, Circle In A Square is an impressive album, which
captures this singer and composer in the
prime of her musical career.
[*In These
Shoes?; Diamonds In The Sole Of Her Shoes; The Angels Wanna Wear My Red Shoes]
Lauren Kinhan: Circle in a Square is available on Dotted i Records. Sample.
Debra M.
3 comments :
Hi Lance and Debra, Lauren Kinhan, here. Thanks for the strong nod. I'm having the time of my life touring this music and expanding as an artist. I hope these shoes carry me to England sometime soon.
Cheers, Lauren
Shoes? Vagabond Shoes (Vic Damone); These Boots Are Made For Walkin' (Nancy S.); Hi Heel Sneakers (Stones/Buddy Guy); Sand in my Shoes (Connie Boswell); Boots (Rudyard Kipling) any more footwear suggestions?
Eugene says 'The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys' by Traffic & Lauren may be interested to know my husband is getting out the vinyl now to play it!
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