March 2026 will mark the release of Realms, the new album by singer, songwriter and charismatic entertainer Rachel Sutton. Apart from Something Cool which is comparable with the iconic version by June Christy, all of the songs are Sutton originals. The lyrics are good and meaningful and the melodies are memorable.
The vocals too are impressive apart from an overuse of octave and other interval jumps on Farley's Song that, inexplicably, brought Slim Whitman to mind! A choir enhances There's a Feeling as does pianist Perrin throughout the album.
The Jester and the Jewel brings out Sutton's theatricality and there's some echoing guitar too. Castles in the Sky is a nice combination of voice and piano with a fading finale. Time brings in the horn section with a strong trumpet solo from Quigley. It swings along nicely although Sutton, who's having a good day, can't resist slipping in those pesky interval jumps. However, everything else is good so she's forgiven.
Daytrip has a relaxing pre-war (the second one) feel to it. Older folks will relate Perrin to Charlie Kunz and maybe Sutton as an updated Anne Lenner. Something Cool I've already mentioned. It was written by Billy Barnes who also composed Streisand's I Stayed Too Long at the Fair which is another number Sutton could apply the magic to.
All You Can Eat is a swinger from both voice, piano, bass and drums with the voice disappearing into the great unknown. I'd Really Love it has an emotional lyric that grabbed me from the start and a beautiful melody that Sutton delivers to perfection.
An album not be overlooked. Even with too many pesky interval jumps it's still good listening. Do I file it under jazz? That's the big question. I don't know, do you? Lance
Realms will be launched on 10th March 2026 at Pizza Express Jazz Club in Soho, London – don’t miss the chance to witness the magic of this project in a live setting: https://www.pizzaexpresslive.
1 comment :
I attended Rachel Sutton’s fabulous album launch last night and was mesmerised by the songs; such captivating, emotive numbers with wonderful memorable melodies that stay in your mind long after the listening. It is hard to write beautiful tunes which are at once sophisticated and catchy without ever descending into kitschiness but Sutton seems to have got the nack. Her delivery was utter perfection and the audience were audibly enraptured from start to finish. She told us that she had spent many years as an actress before launching her singing career. This went some way to explaining her skill at vocal storytelling and how she effortlessly draws you in to her world with dramatic flair and total believability. You believe and feel every word being sung to you by this artist. So many lush beautiful notes were sounded out. There wasn’t an octave leap amongst them …..though there were some lovely major thirds and major sixths. An uplifting beautiful night to remember!
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