Nicole Henry - Time to Love Again

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2021
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:50
Size: 103,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:02) 1. Feeling good
(4:40) 2. Midnight at the Oasis
(4:10) 3. Your smiling face
(5:41) 4. I didn't know what time it was
(6:52) 5. Is it a crime
(4:50) 6. Until it's time for you to go
(5:46) 7. Wild is the wind
(4:53) 8. Love and affection
(3:50) 9. Overjoyed

Nicole Henry has been making a lot of noise, nicely, with her latest album. It is easy to see why.

While critics compare her to everyone from Natalie Cole to Whitney Houston, she really does sound like herself. She swings elegantly and does not oversing. Her intonation, diction and phrasing are impeccable. Henry is the epitome of good taste. She obviously has chops and range to burn, but keeps both under control. She will neither shatter your nerves nor your windows. One suspects that performance is part of her appeal: better to be in the live audience rather than listening through headphones. But, as the The Rolling Stones reminded us, you can't always get what you want.

Her taste in material is good too, ranging from jazz to rock to soul to pop. None of the tunes are original, but Henry puts a distinctive vocal and rhythmic stamp on them. And her timbre ranges from sultry to sweet, as the tune calls for. "Midnight at the Oasis" is undergoing something of a revival, but Henry's version is just different enough to keep Maria Muldaur at bay, which is not easy. Others have also done "What Time It Was," but there are no intervallic gimmicks here. James Taylor? "Your Smiling Face." Really? Yes, Somehow it works, and works well. "Overjoyed" by Stevie Wonder is another favorite, with an intimation of what energy Henry keeps under wraps.

It may be premature to compare her to Sarah Vaughan, as some of her fans are wont. Time will tell, but she is in the ballpark.By Richard J Salvucci https://www.allaboutjazz.com/time-to-love-again-nicole-henry-banister-records

Personnel: Nicole Henry: voice / vocals; Pete Wallace: piano; Jean Caze: trumpet; Aaron Lebos: guitar; Troy Roberts: saxophone; Eric England: bass, electric; Camilo Velandia: guitar; Eduardo Rodriguez: percussion; Dan Warner: guitar; John Michalak: saxophone, tenor; Richard Bravo: percussion; David Chiverton: drums; Gregoire Maret: harmonica; Teddy Mulet: trumpet; Jim Hacker: trumpet; Jorge Dorbal, Jr: trombone; Tom McCormick: woodwinds; Doug Emery: keyboards.

Time to Love Again

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Nicole Henry - So Good, So Right: Nicole Henry LIVE

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:00
Size: 139,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:40)  1. Stuck in the Middle With You
(4:37)  2. So Good, So Right
(4:29)  3. Neither One of Us
(2:32)  4. Big Yellow Taxi
(4:33)  5. Waiting in Vain
(4:44)  6. Use Me
(4:46)  7. Fire and Rain
(4:03)  8. Love Don't Live Here Anymore
(7:29)  9. Spirit in the Dark
(5:16) 10. Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word
(3:53) 11. Home
(5:33) 12. Sweet Love
(4:19) 13. Landslide

Most people who feel that they were born in the wrong time also believe that they would have fit better in some time in the past. I guess that’s because the past is a formed concept in our minds while the future is just an opaque notion. The past has already happened, and we can look back the attitudes, the clothes the culture and other aspects and say ‘I belong there.’ Of course, such beliefs by those of us who were not actually alive at that time require a degree of editing. In many ways the “good old days” were more old than good. Yes, it would have been great take in a show at Small’s Paradise in the 1920s, hanging out with the Harlem Renaissance artists and thinkers. However, that means that I would be a black man in America in the 1920s and we all know what a hassle that could be.

Still, an artist such as Nicole Henry can be forgiven if she feels like an analog girl in a digital world to quote a line from another artist who fits uncomfortably in the current epoch. Henry’s embrace of the music of the 1970s, as demonstrated on her live album So Good So Right, illustrates the ways that musical styles of the 1970s are more attuned to the gifts that Henry brings to the table. In many ways musical tastes have flipped 180-degrees from the musicianship, lyricism, soulful vocals and sophisticated glamour displayed by artists who strode across the 1970s musical stage.

Similar to singers such as Nancy Wilson, Henry brings a jazz sense of timing and phrasing to her vocals. That is heard in the swaying version of “Waiting in Vain” featured on So Good So Right (Henry fans might recall that she included a version of the Bob Marley classic on her studio album Embraceable). Like Aretha Franklin, Henry can speak a variety of musical languages, and this allows her to shift genres. Henry opens the live set with a funky version of the Stealers Wheel classic “Stuck in the Middle With You.” Henry’s treatment of the tune makes me curious of what she would do with my favorite Rafferty tune, “Baker Street.” She transforms Joni Mitchell’s folksy environmental anthem “Big Yellow Taxi” into a head bopping number that fuses blues and gospel.

While Henry showcases her ability to reimagine a number such as “Stuck in the Middle With You,” she plays it straight on her renditions of Brenda Russell’s “So Good So Right” and the Gladys Knight and the Pips classic, “Neither One of Us.” One aspect of crafting a successful live show lies in the artist’s understanding of when it is appropriate to get forward leaning on an arrangement and when to play it straight. Henry’s honest interpretation of these two classics captures the sense of contentment at the start of a relationship and the pathos of stark realization that is always in attendance at a relationships end.

Being a person who grew up listening to many of these tunes, I have always loved the music of the 1970s. I believe that the decade is underrated musically due largely to the great music made during the 1960s, but the 70s showed a particular strength in terms of musical variety musicianship, lyricism and the overall quality of performers. And while nothing can substitute for the originals, you don’t have to lower your expectations to enjoy listening to a master interpreter such as Henry rework these classics. Recommended. ~ Howard Dukes   http://www.soultracks.com/nicole-henry-so-good-so-right-review

So Good, So Right: Nicole Henry LIVE

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Nicole Henry - The Nearness Of You

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:18
Size: 122.0 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2004
Art: Front

[5:34] 1. Summertime
[3:42] 2. Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man Of Mine
[3:10] 3. Old Black Magic
[5:46] 4. The Nearness Of You
[3:27] 5. Fly Me To The Moon
[4:35] 6. Get Here
[2:23] 7. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
[6:17] 8. You're Looking At Me
[4:50] 9. My Love
[4:59] 10. Somewhere Over The Rainbow
[3:33] 11. Cheek To Cheek
[4:56] 12. Imagine

Nicole Henry: vocals; Mike Orta: piano; Paul Shewchuk: bass; Danny Burger: drums.

Had I seen her web site beforehand—promoting her as a "singer, actress, host, model"—I might actually have been less inclined to buy this album. Performers who make a living based on looks as well as vocal talent are often lacking in one or both categories, but Nicole Henry proves she's capable of both. The Nearness Of You, her first full-length jazz album, certainly qualifies as a swinging album of standards, but probably lacks the distinctiveness necessary to get the South Florida resident much notice beyond the regional scene. Henry possess a strong middle-range voice and a sensible lyrical sense that finds her adding a nice amount of spice to familiar tunes without venturing into extreme regions where anyone of less than absolute top-echelon talent usually gets unpleasantly exposed.

The Nearness Of You finds Henry in the company of many other performers in the early stages of their recording careers who show promise. The question is now whether she will continue developing similar to a performer like Dianne Reeves—whose wildly uneven jazz and pop albums from her early days have given way to a string of Grammy successes—or try achieving wider recognition by veering fully into the pop field. Either way, that's where the modeling and acting efforts may pay off—other attractive performers have certainly achieved widespread notoriety with lesser material than this. ~Mark Sabbatini

The Nearness Of You

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Nicole Henry - Teach Me Tonight

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:50
Size: 123.3 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2005
Art: Front

[3:51] 1. Lover Come Back To Me
[3:24] 2. Blue Skies
[4:33] 3. Teach Me Tonight
[5:09] 4. Blame It On My Youth
[3:37] 5. I've Got You Under My Skin
[6:55] 6. Angel Eyes
[3:51] 7. Summer Wind
[5:57] 8. Cry Me A River
[3:45] 9. Night And Day
[5:36] 10. You Don't Know What Love It
[3:27] 11. 's Wonderful
[3:36] 12. Young At Heart

Nicole Henry gained attention in 2004 when she released her debut CD, The Nearness of You, on Banister Records. She started off singing in church and school choirs, and she studied cello for six years. Henry received a scholarship to study architecture in college but instead graduated with a degree in advertising and theater. In 2000 she toured as a background singer for Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise, performing dance music. She has since worked as an actress, a spokesperson, an R&B singer, and more recently a jazz singer. She discovered jazz when she was singing in Miami Beach. Bassist Paul Shewchuk invited her to learn some jazz standards and gig with his trio. She found that she enjoyed the freedom of the music, and that has been her main direction ever since. Based in Florida, Nicole Henry has performed in Korea, Japan, Mexico, London, and throughout the U.S. In addition to The Nearness of You, she recorded the 2007 Japan-only release Teach Me Tonight and The Very Thought of You, the latter CD issued by Banister in 2008. Henry returned three years later with Embraceable. In 2012, Henry delivered the concert album So Good, So Right: Nicole Henry Live. ~bio by Scott Yanow

Teach Me Tonight

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Nicole Henry & James Bryan - Summer Sessions EP

Size: 74,1 MB
Time: 31:44
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front & Back

01. Never Give Your Love Away (4:04)
02. Let It Be Me (4:35)
03. Joy (2:48)
04. Magic (3:34)
05. Baby Can I Hold You (3:41)
06. My Love Is Your Love (3:24)
07. How Insensitive (5:39)
08. No One Is To Blame (3:56)

Growing up in Pennsylvania, Nicole Henry’s mom played classical piano while she sat in her room, singing along to Aretha Franklin and Sister Sledge. After moving to South Florida to attend the University of Miami, Henry decided to make Miami her home. “I was fortunate to work with a lot of amazing, world-class musicians down here," she says. "There are a lot of creative people who allowed me to find my own voice.”

She quit her office job in 2001 and has been working full-time as a singer ever since, striving to bring her perspective to classics. In 2002, this paper named her Miami's Best Local Solo Musician in our annual Best Of Issue, and in 2013, Henry won a Soul Train Award for Best Traditional Jazz Performance.

“A lot of my repertoire is from the jazz standards, but I sing classic soul and folk songs. I’ll sing anything, but you want to take the time to make covers your own; otherwise, you sound like a hotel lobby band. And I’ve had to do that. Even then, you don’t want to sound like a jukebox.”

Her current band — which includes Pete Wallace on piano, Eric England on upright bass, Dave Chiperton on drums, and Aaron Lebos on guitar — backs her on songs like Ramsey Lewis’ “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free." With a repertoire so diverse and old school, was there any song that stumped her — that she couldn’t figure out how to make hers? “There were two Stevie Wonder songs I tried that I couldn’t do anything with," she says. "Musically and logically, he’s so perfect that you can’t change them.”

Fortunately for her fans, Henry was able to find eight songs she could make hers, and on July 24, she’s releasing Summer Session, an eight-song acoustic EP with both covers and originals, accompanied by James Bryan — who won a Latin Grammy for his work with Nelly Furtado — on acoustic guitar. The two met in 2003, and a song they played together in that first meeting, “No One Is to Blame,” made it as the final track on this record.

Summer Sessions EP

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Nicole Henry - The Very Thought Of You

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 50:27

Size: 115.5 MB

Styles: Jazz vocals

Year: 2008

Art: Front

[4:42] 1. That's All

[4:11] 2. Almost Like Being In Love

[2:56] 3. I Can't Be Bothered Now

[3:39] 4. Waters Of March

[4:23] 5. What'll I Do

[4:24] 6. I Found You

[3:52] 7. All That I Can See

[3:41] 8. All The Way

[2:54] 9. I'm Gonna Lock My Heart

[5:09] 10. At Last

[5:17] 11. The Very Thought Of You

[5:13] 12. Make It Last

A fresh, young and inspirational jazz vocalist with a beautiful voice that is pure and soulful. Every song is gracefully executed with her own very personal touch. Simply one of the finest artists to emerge this decade.

Since her debut in 2004, Nicole Henry has established herself as one of the jazz world's most acclaimed vocalists. Ms. Henry possesses a potent combination of dynamic vocal abilities, impeccable phrasing, and powerful emotional resonance. Her repertoire includes the American Songbook, classic and contemporary jazz titles, contemporary' standards, blues, and originals; while her accompaniment ranges from a simple jazz trio to a full big band.

The Very Thought Of You

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Nicole Henry - Embraceable

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:46
Size: 127,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:33)  1. Just A Little Lovin'
(4:18)  2. Like Someone In Love
(4:00)  3. Anything For You
(4:50)  4. Since I Fell For You
(4:12)  5. Trouble In Mind
(4:55)  6. Hush Now
(4:51)  7. Waiting In Vain
(3:49)  8. Embraceable You
(4:32)  9. A Day In The Life Of A Fool
(5:39) 10. Even While You're Gone
(6:27) 11. A Little Time Alone
(4:35) 12. Save Me From Myself

With the release of her fifth album, Embraceable, vocalist Nicole Henry pleasingly brings together a range of styles smooth and mainstream jazz, along with pop and gospel.

A roster of musicians from diverse jazz backgrounds are featured on various tracks, with standouts including saxophonist Kirk Whalum, harmonicist Gregoire Maret and pianists John Stoddart and Britain's Oli Rockberger, who all contribute mightily. Among the albums's 12 selections, there are four new numbers including three Stoddart gems, and eight standards on which Henry puts her stamp.

Henry kicks off with a dreamy version of Mann/Weil's "Just A Little Lovin," with Maret's languorous harmonica creating the mood. The ambiance continues with Stoddart's soulful ballad, "Anything For You," which builds to a throbbing finish.

Whalum's lush tenor warms up a rocking version of Buddy Johnson's "Since I Fell for You." With Richard Jones' "Trouble In Mind," Henry gives tribute to Aretha Franklin, as Rockberger's solid blues piano brings home its soulful message. On Bob Marley's "Waiting in Vain," the singer subjugates its classic reggae beat, but Maret's harmonica more than compensates as it weaves in and out behind her plaintive voice.

Hitting her peak with Gershwin's "Embraceable you," Henry offers a romantic toast to this staple from The Great American Songbook. She brings it back to the church with her fervid preaching on Stoddart's "A Little Time Alone," as Whalum's wailing sax urges her on from the choir.

The album ends simply, with Christina Aguilera's "Save Me From Myself," Henry's unadorned voice caressing the lyrics, accompanied majestically by Stoddart. Henry's stated mission with this record is to take large steps in new directions, and she accomplishes this with a sweet, accessible voice that serves up lyrical ballads, as well as dishing out large helpings of soulful blues and gospel. ~ Larry Taylor  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=40258#.UmAZphAuf-I

Personnel: Nicole Henry: vocals; John Stoddart: piano, keyboard, Fender Rhodes (1, 3, 4, 7, 10-12 ; Gerald Clayton: piano (2, 9); Oli Rockberger: piano (5, 6); Gil Goldstein: piano (8); Jef Lee Johnson: electric guitar (1, 4, 7, 11); Julian Lage: electric guitar (2, 9); Larry Campbell: acoustic guitar, electric guitar, National Reso-phonic guitar (3, 5, 8, 10); Gregoire Maret: harmonica (1, 7); Kirk Whalum: tenor saxophone (4, 11): Andy Snitzer: alto saxophone (4, 11); Aaron Heick, tenor saxophone, bass flute (4, 7, 8, 11); Lou Marini: flute (7, 8); Tony Katleck: trumpet (4, 11); Michael Davis: trombone (4, 11); Larry Grenadier: acoustic bass; Richard Locker: cello (7, 10, 11); Entchko Todorov: violin (3, 6, 10, 11); Eric Harland: drums; Bashiri Johnson: percussion; (1, 4, 6, 9, 11).

Embraceable

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