Here are a couple vocalists that are trying some different deliveries in the bullpen
Brooklyn-based vocalist Melissa Stylianou has a folksy lilt to her delivery here on a collection of standards, originals and ringers. She fronts a sensitive and delicate team of Pete McCann/g, Gary Wang/b, Rodney Green/dr, Jamie Reynolds/p and James Shipp/perc through intimate takes of tunes like “Smile” and “Moon River.” Anat Cohen brings her various reed instruments to add extra bohemian textures to Paul Simon’s “Hearts and Bones” and the exotic “Onde Ir,” while Stylianou sounds tender, gentle and vulnerable. Her own songs like “First Impressions” reveal a reflective temperament, as she draws you in with her understated winsomeness. Nice time here.
Ellynne Plotnick goes bare bones with John Tropea/g and Harvie S/b on a Decalogue o f originals and a few covers. Her voice is bold and strong, and during a great percentage of this disc, she seems to sonically overpower the support, as on her takes of “I Will” and “Manha de Carnaval.” Her own tunes like “Rosa Lee” and “Falling” have her sound a bit like she would do better in a bluesy bar with Booker T and The MGs backing her up. She seems to want a bit more sass in the support to make up for her chops.
Anzic Records
Princess Monkey Music
www.ellynne.com