Think all female vocalists are alike? Here are three sonic sides of a triangle.
Lauren Bush has a clear, confident and strong voice, as she delivers vintage and Boomer standards with a team of Liam Dunachie/p-arr, Andrew Robb/b, David Ingamells/dr and a mix and match horn section. She sashays with Robb on the optimistic read of “Dindi” while musing with Brandon Allen’s tenor sax on “Secret Love.” The keyboards get dreamy on “A, You’re Adorable” before the clutch gets popped and the party starts rolling. “A Peppy “Sweet Georgia Brown” and strong “Doodlin’” show her chops, while the delicate duet with Dunachie on ”You’re Nearer” allow her to get a bit vulnerable for a breather. Comfy in her own skin-got a burnin’ Bush on this one.
Kristin Chenoweth is better known as an actress (although I’ve never seen anything she’s done), but this album tells me that she’s able to create a mood with her voice. Her tone is a kind of mix between Blossom Dearie and a dash of Betty Boop, but she makes it work as she mixes the sweet with the blues as on “Someone to Watch Over Me” and the lush “I’ve Got A Crush On You.” The team of Alan Broadbent/p, Bob Mann/g, David Finck/b and Kevin Winard/dr is deft and simpatico, letting Chenoweth get starry eyed n “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered” and wide eyed on a pastoral “Skylark.” On the other hand, she can get desultory on “I’m a Fool to Want You” and her read of “You’re My Saving Grace.” With strings is a real jaw dropper. She knows a tune!
As domesticated and standard the first two vocalists are, Sanna Ruoboniemi is a free spirit of a vocalist. She sings in both English and her native Finnish tongue here with a flexible core team of Jonas Grumstedt/b, Simon Andersson/dr , David Bennet/as and guests Klas Nevrin/p with Andy Yeo/g, sometimes simply doing scat, vocalese or even babbling. She wails through a sweet “Sailing On A Moment” while the flailing drum intro on “Norsk Blues” leads into Bennet’s alto and some slinky voice from Ruoboniemi. . The piano and voice get stark and dark with the Finnish vocals on “”Vardagsdrom” while everyone shows their bop chops during the peppy “Back From Egypt.” You’re never bored with this one, and you might not blink either!