Sunday, December 15, 2024

Amanda McBroom - Voices

Time: 52:46
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals
Art: Front & Back

01. South Bound Train (4:31)
02. Feet Of Clay (4:15)
03. The Rose (Feat. Vince Gill) (4:46)
04. Old Love (3:29)
05. Yarnell Hill (4:43)
06. The Last Thing On My Mind (3:19)
07. Welcome Home (3:18)
08. Sometimes (4:52)
09. Voices That Come Through The Wall (3:26)
10. I'm Here For Life (3:47)
11. Hope Floats (4:23)
12. Make A Memory (4:32)
13. 12th Of Never (3:18)

In her ninth recording Amanda McBroom writes and sings stories in the voices of women in transition - the bittersweet reflections of a woman travelling on a train from one life to another, the wife of a fireman in the Yarnell Hills fire in Arizona waiting for her husband to come home, the isolation and fear of a young woman hearing voices come through the wall in a family unable to express their feelings, the humor and joy of finding love at an advanced age.

As a singer and a songwriter, Amanda is not new to emotion in song. THE ROSE captured the world's heart when Bette Midler sang it for the film of the same name and earned Amanda a Golden Globe for Best Film Song, a roomful of gold and platinum records, and a wave of worldwide recordings and uses of the song including a #1 hit in the UK by boy band Westlife and a verse unexpectedly sung by Kurt Cobain in the documentary Montage of Heck. It is the outpouring of gratitude from people around the world that sing the song at weddings and funerals, with families, friends, and choirs that is Amanda's biggest reward. But anyone who has ever heard Amanda herself sing THE ROSE in her live concerts around the world - from Taiwan's Sun Yat Sen Concert Hall to Australia's Adelaide Cabaret Festival to the intimate Pheastranty in London or Carnegie Hall - would say that she captures the emotion, passion and love of her song better than anyone. When Amanda got the call to sing THE ROSE in a duet with Vince Gill, her favorite voice of America, she jumped at the chance. The call came from Fred Mollin, producer of best sellers for Jimmy Webb, Kris Kristoferson, and J.D. Souther as well as Amanda's A WAITING HEART. She listened to the voices of her friends and fans and created the project through Kickstarter. She assembled a team of social media experts, videographers and oversubscribed the project in less than 30 days.

VOICES was recorded in Nashville at the Sound Emporium.

Review:
Wounded hearts are one of the collection's pressing themes, perhaps the overarching theme. A related issue is the all-too-often transitory nature of love. Also stressed is the power of the past to affect the present not always positively. Then there's the power of hope. Singing in her pure manner, McBroom chooses songs that, as she sees it, reiterate these constants. Undoubtedly, the prolific songwriting McBroom is still best known for 'The Rose,' which she reprises in a quite different version from her initial track: She's beautifully joined by Vince McGill. Of the 13 inclusions, she wrote nine, three with frequent collaborator Michele Brourman. She opens with Julie Gold's 'Southbound Train,' including a lyric about a damaged heart 'on the baggage rack.' Songwriter Gold is still best known for supplying as with McBroom's 'The Rose' the other Bette Midler signature song 'From a Distance. This anthem demonstrates Gold's plangent strengths. Of the other songs, only 'The Last Thing on my Mind' and 'The Twelfth of Never' are well-known, but McBroom's versions of the others suggests they all should be recognized as standards. Voices was produced in Nashville. (Vince McGill was probably close at hand). When singers go to Music City (see also k. d. lang), they tend to produce something that sounds unmistakably country maybe uptown country, but country all the same. There's nothing wrong with that, as this brilliant CD completely substantiates. David Finkle The Huffington Post

Voices

Jay Ashby, Steve Davis - Mistaken Identity

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Year: 2011
Time: 59:24
File: MP3 @ 128K/s
Size: 55,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:33) 1. Mistaken Identity
(5:45) 2. Double Take
(5:27) 3. Chega De Saudade
(5:49) 4. Nina Never Knew
(7:28) 5. Choices
(4:23) 6. Tootin' for Toots
(5:36) 7. The Odd Couple
(7:48) 8. Spirit Waltz
(5:48) 9. Stable Mates
(5:43) 10. One For All

A New York Yankees fan and a Boston Red Sox fan make an odd couple on the bandstand. How do you get them to play nicely with others and how do you deal with the issue of two virtuoso jazz trombonists who are often mistaken for each other, even causing fellow jazz musicians to do the occasional double take? The answer to this little dilemma might find Jay Ashby and Steve Davis collaborating in a musical setting where one would be for the other, or one for all. That’s what you’ll hear on this CD, where orchestral tone, effortless three octave range, and gorgeous legato lines with saxophone-like speed are the standard on this most difficult of instruments. As an example, check out the stablemates on the smoking tootin’ for Toots. These two musicians have advanced the jazz trombone far into the 21st Century.

Special kudos to the dynamite rhythm sections on this CD! The impeccable drumming of Roger Humphries and Tom Wendt drive these tunes with both energy and control. Sparkling piano from David Bryant and stellar guitar work from Marty Ashby beautifully complement these tenor horns. Bassists Dwayne Dolphin and Brian Stahurski provide nonpareil foundations for this hour of swinging jazz. Enjoy! By Dr. David Beaudreau https://myiesstore.com/mcgjazz/product/jay-ashby-steve-davis-mistaken-identity/

Mistaken Identity

Lisa Hilton - Lucky All Along

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2024
Time: 58:06
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 133,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:37) 1. Little Beach Mornings
(6:05) 2. All Blues
(6:23) 3. Prophesies & Predictions
(3:44) 4. Hollywood Moment
(6:17) 5. And Some Blues…
(6:32) 6. Escapist Fantasy
(4:11) 7. See You Again
(4:19) 8. Starry, Starry Eyes
(5:23) 9. Lucky All Along
(4:45) 10. Big Sur Views
(4:45) 11. Snow on the Beach

Another Lisa Hilton album, and for many the world seems a better place. Lucky All Along is the pianist's 30th release, proving that it can take a long time to be considered a jazz success story. Her blend of jazz, Latin, pop and blues means she counts the number of plays on streaming services in the millions and her albums bother the top of those charts which count radio plays and numbers of downloads. She is not considered particularly hip or one of those artists who has expressed a desire to break down perceived musical barriers. She just does what she does and she does it amazingly well, garnering broad appeal.

She is joined by the members of her perfectly-matched long-time trio: bassist Luques Curtis and drummer Rudy Royston. They seem to have a default setting that enables them to seamlessly take any song into a Latin rhythm using a minimal number of notes. Their ability to change gear and rhythms makes them a most agile trio. They are joined by trumpeter Igmar Thomas as they traverse eight original compositions and three cover versions.

The piano introduction of the opening track, "Little Beach Mornings," leads to a slowly unfolding melody that develops into cascading right-hand runs underpinned by a Latin-hued rhythm as the tempo increases in this beautifully constructed track. Those Latin rhythms also come strongly to the fore in the flowing melodies of "Escapist Fantasy" and "Starry, Starry Eyes." 

Hilton's band have a much broader harmonic palette than pretty melodies and Latin rhythms. "And Some Blues" has swing, gospel hues and terrific trumpet work from Thomas. The title track is a happy and uplifting country-tinged jaunt with piano and trumpet swapping melodic and catchy leads. While the lovely "Big Sur Views" is an impressionistic solo piano reflection with classical influences.

There are three covers, all interesting choices. "All Blues" from Miles Davis' Kind of Blue (Columbia Records, 1959) is fun and gives space for them all to stretch out, especially the earthy trumpet from Thomas. The pop-rap ballad "See You Again" from the 2015 film Furious 7 was a massive hit for Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth. Following the trumpet introduction, it is stripped of its multiple vocal layers and the tune is allowed to shine and becomes an anthemic and refined slow ballad about loss. The third cover, "Snow on the Beach," was written by Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey and Jack Antonoff for Taylor's Midnights (Republic) album in 2022. The trio takes the original pop song structure and subtly slows and bends it to bring out the dreamlike beauty.

Hilton often plays with a Steve Reich-like minimalism and seems to achieve a lot with few notes. She gives her exemplary quartet freedom and space to explore and they all have well-deserved expressive moments in the spotlight. The relaxed charm of this album offers joyful moments and memorable melodies. With a high feel-good factor and a catchy balance of cool jazz, blues and pop, this album is easy to recommend and it should find broad appeal amongst jazz fans and those who want to find out more. https://www.allaboutjazz.com/lucky-all-along-lisa-hilton-ruby-slippers-productions

Personnel: Lisa Hilton, piano Igmar Thomas, trumpet Luques Curtis, bass, acoustic Rudy Royston, drums

Lucky All Along