Laura Ainsworth - Necessary Evil

Styles: Jazz, Cabaret
Label: Eclectus Records
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:56
Size: 111,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:08)  1. Necessary Evil
(3:22)  2. One More Time
(4:19)  3. The Gentleman Is a Dope
(3:20)  4. Just Give Me a Man
(3:25)  5. Love Is a Dangerous Thing
(4:37)  6. My Foolish Heart
(4:39)  7. The Lies of Handsome Men
(3:24)  8. Get Out and Get Under the Moon
(5:24)  9. Out of This World
(3:20) 10. Hooray for Love
(3:30) 11. I'd Give a Dollar for a Dime
(4:24) 12. Last Train to Mercerville

“Singing in a satiny, impossibly old-fashioned, nearly three-octave voice, Ainsworth is the very portrait of West Coast cool…"~Nick DeRiso, SomethingElseReviews.com

As the daughter of renowned saxophonist Billy Ainsworth, Laura Ainsworth grew up watching her dad accompany such legends as Tony Bennett and Ella Fitzgerald. Her first album, "Keep It To Yourself," announced to the world that the sophisticated vocal style of the 1940s and '50s was still alive and well. Now, her second album, "Necessary Evil," extends that legacy of great music even further, and in new and exciting directions. On the film noir-themed "Necessary Evil," Laura and her partner/producer/pianist Brian Piper (2011 Dallas Jazz Musician of the Year and leader of the Newport Jazz Beach Party spotlight group, the Brian Piper Trio) offer a collection of terrific songs from the 1920s to today, all about love. 

Not love as a happily-ever-after fairy tale, but love with a twist: songs of heartache, lust, infatuation, fantasy, self-delusion and all the other aspects that sometimes make it feel less like a beautiful dream than a "necessary evil." Love is presented in all its forms, from heartbreaking (Laura's gorgeous new rendition of "My Foolish Heart") to hilarious ("Just Give Me A Man"). Opening with a blast of cool, Vegas-style big band brass from a 13-piece horn section on the title cut, "Necessary Evil" runs the stylistic gamut. Snap your fingers to the irresistibly bopping "The Gentleman Is A Dope"...be enchanted by the lush, exotic world jazz reinvention of "Out Of This World"...be transported back in time with the lilting "Get Out And Get Under The Moon"...and raise a martini to the cynical AC-style anthem to female empowerment, "The Lies Of Handsome Men." In the end, we realize that the only place you can always turn to for true, pure, eternal love is in the great old songs on the jukebox ("I'd Give A Dollar For A Dime). 

And so the album concludes with the brilliant new tribute to the king of romantic standards, "Last Train To Mercerville." Accompanied by a swinging big band and Piper's genius arrangement, this track cleverly weaves together lyrical and musical references to dozens of timeless Johnny Mercer songs. It's a brand new Big Band classic for the 21st century, and a song that Laura believes her late dad would've loved. So hop on the train back to a time when men donned fedoras to take dames with dangerous curves and long, satin gloves to swank gin joints, to hear great music by a stunning flame-haired chanteuse who's earning worldwide airplay and gushing reviews. But don't take our word for it. Download a FREE SONG at lauraainsworth.com, join her on Facebook and Twitter, or just check out what the critics had to say...More (http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/lauraainsworth3).

Necessary Evil

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