The first of the festive season albums to arrive features Nishla Smith, an Australian born, Manchester based vocalist who has plenty of BSH form via album reviews, gigs and jam sessions etc.
Supported by a stellar group of instrumentalists Nishla applies her appealing vocal chords to four seasonal standards as well as one of her own compositions - all exquisitely performed. Blossom Dearie crossed my mind.
What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?: Composer Frank Loesser moaned that it wasn't written to be played on NYE but some months earlier which, if you listen to the words you get his point. Still, I don't suppose he objected to the royalty checks that swelled his bank account! Nishla takes it more uptempo than the norm with the band playing a fast riff beneath the vocal. Chandler-King blows a nice alto solo.
The Things We Did Last Summer: Anyone who does a job on this number gets top marks from me and, if they sing the verse there's bonus points as well. Nishla scores on all points. A laid back flugel solo adds to the poignancy of the lyric as do the strings that underpin the vocal.
It's Easy to Blame the Weather: Saul Chaplin and Sammy Cahn penned this bouncy number which has solos by flugel and piano to add further colour to Nishla's chirpy vocal.
You Make it Feel Like Christmas: This is the Nishla original and it's superior by far to some of the 'originals' currently doing the rounds. It's predominantly voice and guitar before it close with a cello fade out.
You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch: I hold my hand up and confess I'd never heard this one until now. Perhaps I'm too old. It has an amusing lyric and Nishla's theatrical vocal and Bim's guitar solo help things out. Still it's a fun thing guaranteed to liven up the party. Just one complaint - I wish there had been more tracks.
Well worth checking out. Release date is Nov. 6. Lance
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