Gabrielle Stravelli: Pick Up My Pieces-Sings Willie Nelson

It takes a lot of moxie to take on the Willie Nelson songbook and not wear a pair of blue jeans, but Gabrielle Stravelli does it, and makes it work. She brings in an assortment of horns with a working core of Joshua Richman/p, Pat O’Leary/b and Eric Halvorson/dr and doesn’t even hint at honky tonks or five and dimers. She gives a saucy blues to “Three Days,” does a slinky bop withScott Robinson’s flute on “Butterfly” and is peppy on a fun “Lady Luck/If You’ve Got The Money, I’ve Got the Time.” The mood gets gospel-Sunday feeling with Stravelli testifying on a dramatic “Somebody Pick Up My Pieces/Crazy with Richman and O’Leary and getting intimate for a deep and visceral closer on “Always On My Mind.” Stravelli rolled the dice and came up with a seven on this one.

www.gabriellestravelli.com

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