Isabel Stover
(vocals); Jonathan Alford (piano); Fred Randolph (bass); Dave Tidball
(saxopohone); Dave Bell (guitar).
(Review
by Ann Alex)
Isabel Stover has sung
in musical theatre, funk, r&b, classical opera and a jazz choir, and that
wide musical experience becomes obvious when you hear this highly recommended
debut CD. And I’d guess that she can act
as well, because she certainly brings out the full meaning of these songs in
her richly textured voice.
There are jazz
standards: Softly As In A Morning
Sunrise; Never Let Me Go; Nature Boy; The Song Is You along with jazz-like treatments to Anthony Newley’s
Feelin’ Good; Lovin’ In My Baby’s Eyes (Taj
Mahal); Human Nature (Michael
Jackson); and four songs about children, including Bill Evans’ jazz classic Waltz For Debby. Add to this the very accomplished
instrumentalists who have a fair bit of space for soloing, so what’s not to
like?
I especially liked the
musical evocation of a summer’s day on Feelin’
Good, with bee-like saxophone comments and background twinkling cymbals; Softly As In A Morning Sunrise, a very
playful version with interesting chords and lots of bass. This song is difficult to place emotionally
(I’ve tried) and a playful version comes across well. Never
Let Me Go is wonderfully melancholy and the double tracked voice on Nature Boy gives the necessary mythical
effect which suits the lyrics.
The CD was self-released
on June 17, 2014. See the
website www.isabelstover.com
Ann
Alex.
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