CD Review: Heather Bambrick - You’ll Never Know

Heather Bambrick (vocals, whistling); Mark Kieswetter (piano); Ross MacIntyre (bass); Davide DiRenzo (drums, perc); Rob Piltch (guitar); Chase Sanborn (trumpet, flugelhorn); John Johnson (saxophones); Guido Basso (flugelhorn on 2 tracks)

(Review by Ann Alex)

I don’t remember reviewing a CD from a Canadian singer before today. Hailing from the land of Joni Mitchell and the McGarrigle sisters, Heather Bambrick has a lot to live up to, and she compares well with her countrywomen, though she is, of course. doing a different type of singing. Ms Bambrick has been active musically for 20 years, as an award-winning vocalist, voice actor, broadcaster and educator. She has performed internationally with many other artists, including Ian Shaw, who is well known to Tyneside, audiences and, of course, much further afield. The material on the CD ranges from swinging jazz standards, pop songs, an original Bambrick penned song, a Kurt Weill number and even a folk song. The voice is very pleasing and versatile and the musicians are well accomplished. And you get good value from the CD which has 14 tracks.

I Only Have Eyes for You is the usual sort of jazz song performance, with a muted trumpet solo, then a return to the song which is improvised vocally. Fair enough I thought, but the tracks get more interesting as you continue listening. Lovers In A Dangerous Game shows tension produced by brushed drums; I Can’t See For Lookin’ has amusing lyrics ‘maybe I talk too much, maybe I’ve lost my touch’; the Arlen/Koehler spiritual influenced Get Happy is sung in a more bluesy voice, with all the musicians joining in; Far From The Home I Love is a wistful, melancholy song about a woman who is homesick yet wants to stay with her man; Dedicated To You has the voice brought close to the microphone, intimate and smooth jazz. The Bambrick original, I Don’t Mind A Bit, is an amusing song similar to My Funny Valentine, with lines such as ‘and socially you’re quite a twit’, and our singer whistles a half chorus, adding to the fun. Kurt Weill’s My Ship, a beautiful song about a luxurious ship which is bringing a lover back, includes a fine and appropriate guitar solo. Other tracks are: Never Never Land; How Does It Feel; You’ll Never Know; Surrey With The Fringe On Top; A Time For Love.

I was a bit puzzled about why the final track was included. This was the Newfoundland folk song Petty Harbour Bait Skiff, concerning a fishing boat disaster, a jazzy version, well sung with just a piano accompaniment. This was a sad song to end with and although the performance was good, the song seemed as if it belonged to a different CD, perhaps a CD wholly of jazz interpretations of folk songs. Nevertheless, it didn’t detract from the enjoyment of the CD as a whole.

This CD was released on February 10, 2017.  See www.HeatherBambrick.ca 

Ann Alex