Various - Women With Standards

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:56
Size: 157.8 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 1997
Art: Front

[4:55] 1. Anita Wardell - I Hear Music
[4:03] 2. Alison Bentley - September In The Rain
[3:46] 3. Shirley Kent - Don't Laugh At Me
[5:10] 4. Mandy Fox - Someone To Watch Over Me
[6:01] 5. Alison Bentley - Triste
[6:16] 6. Shirley Kent - Willow Weep For Me
[5:57] 7. Anita Wardell - This Can't Be Love
[4:09] 8. Mandy Fox - Crazy
[2:40] 9. Anita Wardell - Young And Foolish
[2:00] 10. Mandy Fox - No Moon At All
[5:28] 11. Alison Bentley - Eyes Of The Soul
[4:05] 12. Shirley Kent - Time After Time
[3:16] 13. Mandy Fox - The Thrill Is Gone
[3:22] 14. Alison Bentley - Beautiful Love
[4:26] 15. Anita Wardell - Blue Moon
[3:14] 16. Shirley Kent - We'll Gather Lilacs

Anita Wardell, Alison Bentley, Shirley Kent, Mandy Fox (vocals), Liam Noble, Dave Frankel, Richard Simmonds, Simon Purcell (piano), Malcolm Gibbons, Denny Ilett (guitar), Trevor Lines, Duncan Allen, Dave Jones (bass), Ben Clark, Paul Cavaciutti, Dylan Howe (drums). Recorded 1994-7.

Sixteen great jazz standards recorded by four of Britain's finest jazz vocalists, accompanied by the likes of pianist Liam Noble and drummer Dylan Howe.

Women With Standards

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Alison Bentley - Songs Of Leonard Bernstein & Irving Berlin

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:47
Size: 111.7 MB
Styles: Standards, Vocal jazz
Year: 2002
Art: Front

[4:13] 1. Let Yourself Go
[4:21] 2. Reaching For The Moon
[4:58] 3. Cool
[6:29] 4. Lucky To Be Me
[3:32] 5. Puttin' On The Ritz
[5:33] 6. Morning Sun
[6:04] 7. Blue Skies
[3:52] 8. For The Very First Time
[4:26] 9. Let's Face The Music And Dance
[5:14] 10. America

British singer Alison Bentley's third album is devoted to the songbooks of Leonard Bernstein and Irving Berlin. Not all that original, you might say, but she did make a few unusual selections like "Reaching for the Moon" and "For the Very First Time" to spice up the track list, while hanging on to crowd-pleasers like "America" and "Puttin' on the Ritz" to make sure the listener doesn't get lost. Bentley wears her deep alto voice like a silk dress. Sensual and warm, she displays restraint in her vocal ornaments and ear-pleasing accuracy. The backup band consists of pianist Dave Frankel, bassist Dave Jones, and drummer Paul Cavaciuti, with Steve Waterman and Martin Speake adding trumpet and alto sax solos to a few songs. The arrangements stretch the envelope of some of these familiar tunes, but they never break out of the vocal jazz mold. Take for example "Puttin' on the Ritz": The singer puts a lot of bounciness in it, turning it boppier than swing. The same applies to "Cool," given a mischievous facelift. "America," concluding the album, is turned into a surprising samba. But the highlight is "Blue Skies," sung with heart and embellished by a creative trumpet solo. Some jazz fans will say that Bentley's voice lacks distinctive features, but she does a more than convincing job both as singer and arranger, which is enough to make this CD quite enjoyable. ~François Couture

Songs Of Leonard Bernstein & Irving Berlin

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