Monika Ryan: Windmills

Vocalist Monika Ryan tackles the songbook of Alan Bergman  on this wide ranging album with support from Keith Loftis/sax, Brad Goode/tp, Clark Gayton/tb, Nick Rolfe/key, David O’Rourke/g, Rene Hart/b and Alvester Garnett/dr. There is some Iberian guitar work as Ryan sings around the caravan campfire on “The Windmills of Your Mind” while she gets bluesy with some sub-tones on “The Summer Knows.” She is luscious around the horns on “Moonlight” and delivers a dramatic aria with Folfe and Loftis’ tenor sax on “Love Like Ours.” Best of all is when she strips down to the minimum, singing only with support from Rolfe on the bedroom eye’d “What Are You Doing The Rest of Your Life?” and with O’Rourke’s gentle strum on the illuminating “ Where Do you Start?” A modern songbook done very well.

www.monikaryan.com

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