Ladies at the mic…
Vocalist Greta Matassa has a hint of Carmen McRae’s tone in her voice as she sings with richness and wanderlust on this collection of standards. Teamed with Darin Clendenin/p, Clipper Anderson/b, Mark Ivester/dr and Alexey Nikolaev/sax, is luscious on Latin material like the sleek “Baubles Bangles and Beads” as well as the suave samba, “The Beat of My Heart” with Nikolaev’s warm tenor sax. Anderson gives thick solo intros to a swinging “Gone With The Wind” and team gets dramatic on “Down Hear in the Ground.” Matassa and Clendenin are intimate as they reflect as lounge lizards on “Lush Life” and the reflective “Prelude To A Kiss” while show a cozy folk feel on Bob Dylan’s “To Make You Feel My Love.” Clever selection of tunes and mature musical ideas.
Innocent voiced Rosana Eckert fronts a core team of Peter Eldridge/p-key, Corey Christiansen/g, Young Heo/b and Steve Barnes along with guests on percussion, woodwinds and keys on a collection of self-penned tunes. She can produce a mood that is soft and mellow as on “Blue Flower,” ethereal and folksy on “Someone Else’s Lie” and even gets bohemian on a reggae’d “Waiting.” The piano and percussion is well pulsed on “Sailing Home” and she shows she can bop while Heo picks out the blues on “For Good.” Some pastoral effects make “Meant For Me” an impressionistic delight, and she slinks with feeling on “Garby The Great.” Alluring and well dressed.
Vivian Sessoms has a honey toned soul feel not unlike early Aretha Franklin, and she displays it exceedingly well on this album that melds jazz, soul and modern R&B. She doesn’t even sing on all of the tracks, but she arranges everything, which includes a hip trio by Shedrick Mitchell/p, Chris Parks/b and Donald Edwards/dr on “In The Making” as well as some wordless voice with Parks on keyboards and programming on the pulsating “Eden”, “Sa Ra” and the dreamy “Rememberance.” Some Afro-soul is brought in with social rapping on “Fool Me Once” and Sessoms preaches with a gospel organ on a moving “I Can’t Breathe.” Vocal chants on the passionate ballad “As” and her hip VOX work on “One Thing Leads to Another” shows a wide range of thoughtful grooves and thought provoking lyrics.