Ariel Pocock veers between hip bop sounds and indie moods on this clever and intimate album with Larry Grenadier/b, Julian Lage/g, Eric Harland/dr and Seamus Blake/ts. She plays the piano with a rich touch, performing well on the medley of “Ugly Beauty/Still We Dream,” while showing a taste for brightening up standards as she sings “All The Things You Are” with a deft solo by Lage, and a spacious and Spartan “Exactly Like You” with Grenadier. The team gets feisty as Pocock revs up the engine and shoots out of the starting gates with abandon on “Devil May Care” while she goes troubadour on a few hits as well, as on “Rainbow Sleeves” and the folksy title track. Her heart seems to be that of a minstrel while her dna speaks of bebop.
Justin Time Records