Ranee Lee - Because You Loved Me

Styles: Vocal
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:15
Size: 126,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:44) 1. My Heart Will Go On
(4:57) 2. I'm Alive
(4:14) 3. Tale as Old as Time
(6:01) 4. All By Myself
(7:55) 5. House of the Rising Sun / Je Crois
(5:11) 6. Nature Boy
(7:22) 7. Because You Loved Me
(7:05) 8. The Power Of Love
(6:43) 9. The Prayer

Ranee Lee embodies jazz. Her career has been a relentless pursuit to see where the music would take her, what she could learn, what she could pass on, how she could take new and exciting paths. She accepts challenges and constantly redefines herself. What is indisputable is that she is one of Canada's premiere jazz vocalists. Ranee's new album Because You Loved Me features the music of Quebec's superstar interpreted by the iconic jazz vocalist. The selections have been reimagined in a 'jazz style' with beautifully insightful new arrangements. In the end, you don't have to be a fan of Céline to love this album. But if you feel the beauty of a melody, the power of a song, the power of love, that's what Ranee Lee has captured. https://www.blowitoutahere.com/because-you-loved-me/068944027026

Because You Loved Me

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Ranee Lee - You Must Believe In Spring

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 61:50
Size: 141.6 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 1996
Art: Front

[5:35] 1. Secret Love
[5:08] 2. Nice And Easy
[5:05] 3. Angel Eyes
[3:26] 4. I've Got The World On A String
[4:09] 5. Au Privave
[4:25] 6. My Baby Just Cares For Me
[7:34] 7. Yesterdays
[5:47] 8. Stolen Moments
[4:58] 9. My Romance
[6:05] 10. Fine And Mellow
[6:12] 11. You Must Believe In Spring
[3:22] 12. What Is This Thing Called Love

"What would you get if you mixed the spirited lilt of Ella Fitzgerald with the sassy sophistication of Sarah Vaughan topped off with the ability to emotionalize a lyric ala Carmen McRae. A dream-like combination for sure, but Ranee Lee comes darn close to realizing it..." She's been around for some time, though she's not nearly as well known as some less talented singers. Perhaps this disc will change that for it presents Lee in her prime, a mature, confident vocalist. The songs here include "Angel Eyes," "I've Got the World On A String" and "Fine and Mellow." Lee's phrasing proves she understands the nuances both in the lyric and the melody line, as does the band, which features stellar vets Ray Brown and Ed Thigpen. ~ Deni Kasrel/Jazz Times

You Must Believe In Spring

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Ranee Lee - Maple Groove: Songs From The Great Canadian Songbook

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:57
Size: 125.8 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2003
Art: Front

[3:41] 1. If You Could Read My Mind
[4:36] 2. Waltz For Debby
[4:30] 3. Maybe September
[4:14] 4. My Beat
[4:35] 5. It Looks Like Rain
[4:41] 6. Douce Pluie
[2:45] 7. Some Of These Days
[3:24] 8. Put Your Dreams Away (For Another Day)
[3:18] 9. Undun
[4:45] 10. Hymn To Freedom
[3:29] 11. Swinging Shepherd Blues
[7:03] 12. Both Sides Now
[3:51] 13. Spinning Wheel

Canadian vocalist Ranee Lee mines an attractive concept on Maple Groove : showcasing great Canadian songwriters. The vast majority of major Canadian songwriters known internationally are pop rather than jazz artists, but a singer with Lee's chops and taste meets the challenge of making pop songs propulsively swing. Her covers of Bruce Cockburn's "My Beat" and Randy Bachman's "Undun" are glowing examples on this album. Lee does "Both Sides Now" convincingly as a slow ballad, simply the best translation of a Joni Mitchell folk song into a jazzy torch song I've ever heard.

Capably backed by a professional, if not awe-inspiring band, Lee projects her dusky voice most dramatically on ballads, particularly the morose "It Looks Like Rain" and "Maybe September." With Gordon Lightfoot's "If You Could Read My Mind," she sings as if on autopilot, although one could question the sagacity of setting Lightfoot to jazz to begin with. And that raises the one problematic aspect of this concept album: how was this material selected? The most internationally acclaimed Canadian songwriter of the past century, Leonard Cohen, is omitted, and only one song in French is offered. Don't expect this album to win friends and influence fans in Quebec (where the label is located). Further, two of the songs Lee covers really are not vocal pieces at all, Bill Evans' "Waltz for Debby" (saddled with smarmy and sentimental lyrics by jazz journalist Gene Lees, who should stick to journalism) and Oscar Peterson's "Hymn to Freedom." The instrumental versions by the original artists put these vocal versions to shame. This disc's high points, and there are many, make me hope for a second volume of this much needed concept by a fine singer, with Cohen and French songwriters receiving their due. ~Norman Weistein

Maple Groove: Songs From The Great Canadian Songbook mc
Maple Groove: Songs From The Great Canadian Songbook zippy

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Ranee Lee - Seasons Of Love

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:05
Size: 155.8 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 1997
Art: Front

[6:29] 1. Let The Flowers Grow
[4:00] 2. Early Autumn
[7:15] 3. Old Folks
[4:30] 4. The Summer Knows
[7:54] 5. Tis Autumn
[5:02] 6. A Beautiful Sight
[4:25] 7. Summer Me, Winter Me
[4:29] 8. A Dream Wish
[4:33] 9. My One And Only Love
[7:03] 10. Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most
[6:05] 11. Everything Must Change
[6:16] 12. Seasons Of Love

Ms Lee has a warm, brassy edged contralto voice - there's a little bit of smoke in her lower register and her high notes are round and sweet. She articulates precisely and phrases well. She can kick up her heels and get down with the best of 'em - but she also has a mellow, gentle side - and that's the side on display on "Seasons of Love."

"Seasons of Love" is a set of set of twelve songs - most of them are standards, but three of 'em are originals by Ms Lee. The standards include "Old Folks," (OK, this is not my favorite song - but Ms Lee's version has a warm, nostalgic quality that I like), "'Tis Autumn," a lovely version of "My One and Only Love," and "Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most," (which is one of my favorite songs and Ms Lee's version ranks with the best I've ever heard). Ms Lee's band is outstanding: pianist Tilden Webb, guitarist Richard Ring, John Clayton at the bass and drummer Jeff Hamilton - and the great tenor saxman David Murray sits in on four songs. There's nothing flashy going on here - Ms Lee's voice is the "star" - and the guys turn in a lovely, subtle, understated set supporting her.

Bottom Line: This is mellow jazz for a sunny Sunday afternoon with a glass of your favorite libation in one hand and your significant other's hand in the other. ~Gary Connely

Seasons Of Love

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Ranee Lee, Oliver Jones - Just You, Just Me

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:33
Size: 150.1 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2005
Art: Front

[4:17] 1. Just You, Just Me
[5:11] 2. Traveling Man
[6:03] 3. Stardust
[3:59] 4. Sister Sadie
[4:18] 5. There's Nothing Left
[4:33] 6. This Is It
[5:00] 7. Images
[6:22] 8. Sad Young Men
[4:16] 9. Until I Was Loved
[6:34] 10. Guess Who
[5:41] 11. Going Home
[5:34] 12. Autumn Leaves
[3:39] 13. Just You, Just Me (Duet)

Ranee Lee is considered one of Canada's top vocalists and Oliver Jones has long been one of that country's major pianists. Although they had known each other since the early '80s, Lee and Jones had only recorded one previous full-length album together before Just You, Just Me. This quartet outing has seven standards (including quartet and duo versions of "Just You, Just Me") and five of the singer's originals. While Jones (who was coaxed out of retirement by Lee) takes many fine solos along the way, the focus is mostly on Lee, who particularly excels on the ballads, six of which are duets. Her interpretations are straightforward yet quite expressive, showing off the beauty of both her voice and the lyrics that she interprets. ~Scott Yanow

Just You, Just Me

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Ranee Lee - Ranee Lee Lives Upstairs

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:21
Size: 142.7 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[3:37] 1. I Just Found Out About Love
[6:01] 2. In Love In Vain
[6:26] 3. A Time For Love
[8:49] 4. A Crooked Road
[5:30] 5. Four
[9:36] 6. Gershwin Medley
[6:09] 7. Fire And Rain
[4:42] 8. Beautiful Love
[6:05] 9. The Storm
[5:21] 10. Dearly Beloved

Ranee Lee has been Canada's most enjoyable, reliable jazz singer for many decades running, and shows no signs of slowing down over nearly a dozen albums. This live effort at the nightclub Upstairs in Montreal, Quebec, shows Lee still loves standards done her way, and adds a few tunes with a more contemporary tag placed on them. Her voice still holds the perfect tonal values of her idol Sarah Vaughan, shaded with soulful phrasings closely linked to Ernestine Anderson. But Lee has always been her own woman in personalizing whatever song she sings with only a hint of drama, bravado, or vibrato. She's as strait-laced a singer in jazz as anyone worldwide, and swings with the best alongside her band of local heroes, including her husband/guitarist Richard Ring. When Lee sings "In Love in Vain," you know the spirit of Vaughan is present and accounted for, while her take on "Four" is a bit more elongated, not as clipped as the staccato notes of the melody line. Her unusual choice of Pat Metheny's "A Crooked Road" contrasts in an underground, mysterious manner unlike the other selections, while her lone original, "The Storm," is a blues that only foreshadows the clouds, rain, and thunder. Ring's guitar provides supple support, but is much more resonant during "Beautiful Love," showing a dexterity that perhaps should be showcased on his own date. It's somewhat criminal that Ranee Lee is not ranked among the best jazz singers in the world by polls and record sales, but Lives Upstairs proves beyond a doubt she belongs in that upper echelon. ~Michael G. Nastos

Ranee Lee Lives Upstairs

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Ranee Lee - Deep Song: A Tribute To Billie Holiday (Bonus Songs)

Size: 138,4 MB
Time: 60:00
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1989/2012
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. I Wonder Where Our Love Has Gone (5:30)
02. When A Woman Loves A Man (4:08)
03. Crazy He Calls Me (5:43)
04. What A Little Moonlight Can Do (3:23)
05. God Bless The Child (4:06)
06. Somebody's On My Mind (2:40)
07. Easy Livin (4:15)
08. Strange Fruit (2:29)
09. Ain't Nobody's Business (3:20)
10. Them There Eyes (4:41)
11. Don't Explain (5:35)
12. Deep Song (4:04)
13. Fine And Mellow (5:00)
14. I'll Wind (4:59)

On this excellent CD, one of Ranee Lee's earliest recordings, the singer pays tribute to Billie Holiday with renditions of a dozen songs associated with Lady Day. The Canadian release features Lee joined by pianist Oliver Jones, guitarist Richard Ring, Richard Beaudet on reeds, veteran bassist Milt Hinton, and drummer Archie Alleyne; the title cut also includes a string section. Lee manages to recapture Holiday's spirit without resorting to mimicry. This tasteful effort has among its highlights "When a Woman Loves a Man," "Crazy He Calls Me," "Easy Living," and "Them There Eyes." Recommended. ~Review by Scott Yanow

Deep Song

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Ranee Lee - Dark Divas (2-Disc Set)

Ranee Lee, a Brooklyn native transplanted in Canada, has written a show honoring the divas who have influenced her the most in her career as a jazz diva herself. Her seventh album for the Justin Time label is a capsulized version of this review and features songs that were sung by Josephine Baker, Billie Holiday, Pearl Bailey, Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald. Lee in no way apes the renditions by these great singers. She puts her own special stamp on each song on the play list. Given her long and distinguished membership in the jazz/pop vocal community, how could it be otherwise. Her position as one of the preeminent jazz vocal song stylists is solidified by the way she does such classics as "J'ai Deux Amours" that helped make Josephine Baker the toast of Europe. One also hears a nod to the pathos in Edith Piaf's here. Billie Holiday's "Fine and Mellow" is not only distinguished by Lee's singing, but by the wailing trombone of Muhammad Abdul Al-Khabyyr. Perdido captures the one of a kind swing scatting of Sarah Vaughan. Pearl Bailey's ability to mix stand up comedy with a song is recalled with "What Happened to the Hair on the Head of the Man I Love?". "Yesterday When I Was Young" often a paean to regretful sentimentality for past sins of omission and commission, in Lee's hands is "in your face I did it my way" pride. A telling coda to an album saying "thanks" to those she listened to over the years as she went down her own road. After listening to this album one wishes that Ranee Lee's one woman show were playing down the street. Highly recommended. ~Dave Nathan

Ranee Lee - Vocal; Richard Ring - Guitar; Tilden Webb - Piano; Mike Downes - Bass; Dave Laing - Drums; Richard Beaudet - Sax/Clarinet; Muhammad Abdul Al-Khabyyr - Trombone; Ron DiLauro - Trumpet

Album: Dark Divas (Disc 1)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:52
Size: 121.1 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2000

[0:32] 1. Dialogue
[0:43] 2. Charleston
[0:16] 3. Dialogue
[2:07] 4. Honeysuckle Rose
[0:49] 5. I'm Just Wild About Harry
[0:15] 6. Dialogue
[3:01] 7. J'ai Deux Amours
[0:22] 8. Dialogue
[1:43] 9. Riffn' The Scotch
[0:34] 10. Dialogue
[5:06] 11. Fine And Mellow
[5:09] 12. Ill Wind
[0:24] 13. Dialogue
[1:32] 14. The Lady Is A Tramp
[2:55] 15. It Was Just One Of Those Things
[0:32] 16. Dialogue
[5:22] 17. Stormy Weather
[4:20] 18. One For My Baby
[0:31] 19. Dialogue
[0:59] 20. This Little Light Of Mine
[1:02] 21. Dialogue
[2:22] 22. Toot, Toot, Tootsie, Goodbye
[0:22] 23. Dialogue
[2:33] 24. He May Be Your Man
[2:42] 25. What Happened To The Hair On The
[2:34] 26. It Takes Two To Tango
[0:17] 27. Dialogue
[3:35] 28. Hello Dolly

Dark Divas (Disc 1)

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Album: Dark Divas (Disc 2)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:35
Size: 115.8 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[0:24] 1. Dialogue
[2:56] 2. Surprise Party
[4:46] 3. What A Difference A Day Makes
[4:00] 4. Makin' Whoopee
[0:17] 5. Dialogue
[5:28] 6. Misty
[2:32] 7. Perdido
[4:15] 8. If You Could See Me Now
[0:15] 9. Dialogue
[4:22] 10. Mack The Knife
[2:54] 11. A Tisket, A Tasket
[9:13] 12. Medley
[3:40] 13. Oh Lady, Be Good
[4:36] 14. Yesterday
[0:52] 15. Encore

Dark Divas (Disc 2)

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Ranee Lee - What's Goin' On

Size: 125,6 MB
Time: 53:59
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals
Art: Front

01. What's Goin' On (7:13)
02. Echos Of The Heart (4:11)
03. Where Do You Start (7:27)
04. I Mean You (3:51)
05. It Will Be What It Will Be (5:13)
06. Lazy Afternoon (6:09)
07. Silent Tears (5:55)
08. White Gardenia (4:22)
09. One Love (4:08)
10. Song For You (5:25)

'What's Going On' is Ranee Lee's 12th recording for the Justin Time label. Along with several original tunes, the Juno Award winning Jazz vocalist tackles a varied repertoire. As well as paying homage to her Jamaican heritage with a solid rendering of Bob Marley's One Love, the album is also at times moody and reflective, her breathtaking version of Leon Russell's A Song For You features the Birds On A Wire String Quartet which adds a whole new dimension to the song, and there's the Bergman/Mandel classic Where Do You Start, or the title track, Marvin Gaye's stunning What's Going On. But it also swings, check out the self-penned It Will Be What It Will Be and Echoes Of The Heart. A truly beautiful recording (and beautifully recorded!).

What's Goin' On

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