Album review: Trineice Robinson – All or Nothing

Rejoice! Another fine singer doing jazz and soul with a lovely alto tone and expressive presentation.     

This is Ms Robinson's debut album, issued after already making her mark as an educator, researcher, author and scholar. She hails from Oakland, California, sang in church, then gained qualifications in jazz studies and education. She has taught and developed resources for singing in jazz, gospel, pop and other styles, as well as keeping up her own schedule as a singer. She is especially interested in finding ways to express the experience of black American people through song.

Ms Robinson has gathered stellar musicians for the album, including Don Braden who is no slouch on sax and flute, Cyrus Chestnut on piano and bassist Kenny Davis. Sax and piano feature on the title track, using differing time signatures for their solos, very innovative. Footprints is suitably boppy with unusual lyrics by our singer and Nandita Rao 'People in the world today, never take the time to pray'.

What's Going On? is a soul number with lively percussion; Come Sunday is simply voice and piano, heartfelt and sung slowly and Ms Robinson's own song If This is Love, is paired thoughtfully with The Very Thought of You. You Know Who is sheer fun, bass, sax and piano solos, and 'doo doo' vocalisations and La Costa suggests relaxing in the sun, with tapping Latin drumming, a flute solo and backing singers.

The album is neatly rounded off with Ms Robinson's own Christian song, Let it Shine, followed by a short rendition of This Little Light of Mine, sung by one of Ms Robinson's children. Aaah!   

You can get this CD from the usual sources from August 6, 2021. If you google this artist's name you will reach her website which gives lots of information about her theories of singing and you can even sign up to study singing using her methods. Ann Alex

Trineice Robinson (vocals); Laura-Simone Martin, Lindsay Martin Jr (background vocals); Don Braden (saxes, flute); Cyrus Chestnut, Phil Orr (piano); Kenny Davis (bass); Vince Ector (drums); Ian Kaufman (trombone); John Meko (trumpet); Nils Mossblad (tenor sax); Kahlil KwameBell (percussion); Joe 'Stretch' Vinson (guitar) – collective personnel.

All Or Nothing At All; Footprints; What's Going On?; Come Sunday; If This Is Love/The Very Thought Of You; You Taught My Heart To Sing; La Costa; You Know Who (I Mean You); Save Your Love For Me; Let It Shine; This Little Light Of Mine.