An
absolutely delightful album, mainly because of the skilled singing, aided of
course by lively instrumental playing, well up to the mark. The general theme
is the blues and blueness, but it's not always about unhappiness and sometimes
involves quite a bit of humour.
The vocal quality
is what I usually call 'cute', that is, a voice with a sort of 'catch' in it, a
pleasantly quirky tone, think somewhere between Cindy Lauper and an operatic
soprano. Our singer displays a wide range, including 'ooo' sounds sung high up
the scale. This is Rhio's third jazz album and her musical interests include
pop, rock, Latin and blues.
I Didn't See It
Coming: An original by
keys player Leigh Crizoe with a haunting trumpet solo to bring out the blue
mood. A bluesy piano sound brings out the 1920's feel of this piece.
Blues In The
Night: Our singer makes this her own with humorous
touches, including the 'ooee' high notes and a mid-song change of tempo. The
track features harmonica and sax from Bobby La Sardo.
San Francisco
Bay Blues: An interesting
track, not least because I heard what sounded like a Hammond B3 organ playing which
isn't accounted for at all in the list of musicians. Unless, of course, this
noble instrument is classed as just another keyboard. Mysterious!
Still Got The
Blues: A real swinger
where Rhio shows versatility, as her voice is suitably tense and less 'cute'. A
skilled sax solo is featured.
I Haven't Got
Time For The Blues: An
amusing 'happy' blues written by Leigh Crizoe, the title explains the song. Sax
and guitar solos from Brainin and Giglio add to the fun.
Vela Azul: Rhio sings this in Spanish, her second
language. It could be about anything, but since it's a Latin number I'd like to
bet that it concerns sea, sand, lost love and possibly a carnival thrown in for
good measure. Enjoyable anyway.
Six delightful
tracks. The album was released on March 20. See www.besrecords.net
Ann Alex
Rhio (vocals); Cecilia
Coleman, Leigh Crizoe (piano, keyboards); Marco Panascia, SRI Visdwanath,
Eunjung Jo (bass); Joe Giglio (guitar); Eldon Simms, Mike Campenni (drums);
Benny Bennck 111 (trumpet); Bobby La Sardo (sax, harmonica); Peter Brainin
(sax, flute); Victor Manuel Molino (congas, perc)
Not all the listed musicians
are on all tracks
1 comment :
Yes, I listened to the album several times, and it's a unique blend of romance and soul. So refreshing!
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