Here are a pair of vocalists that take on standards, but bring in the soul and pulse of the black church. Ecumenicalism at its best.
Lori Williams has a rich and husky voice, able to take it to a wisp or get strong and Sunday Feelinged on this collection of thoughtful covers. She’s with a core team of Allyn Johnson/p-key, Carrol Sashielli III/dr, Kris Funn/b and rotates around with Antonio Parker/sax, Stanley Cooper/g and Tracey Cutler/sax. She and Cutler’s alto team with a soulful keyboard take of “My Funny Valentine” while she gets folksy with Cooper and some strings on a wistful “Turn, Turn, Turn.” Most intriguing is a gospel drenched read of Duke Ellington’s “Come Sunday” that gets deep into some R&B for the climax, with a New Orleans vibe for a festive “Auld Lang Syne” not far behind. Most intimate is a recording of her and her dad, a church deacon, teaming together for a tender read of “The Best Is Yet To Come,” not the standard, but a personal original. This gal has some great ideas, and like “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,” she can surprise you with changes of pulses, sounds and dynamics. Creative and alluring.
Nicolas Bearde celebrates the 100 year birthday of Nat King Cole with some fresh reads of songs associated with the singing legend. In tow is tenor titan Eric Alexander, teamed with piano giants Josh Nelson-Peter Horvath/p, Alex Boneham-Dan Feiszli/b and Dan Schnelle-Lorca hart-Jason Lewis/dr. Bearde’s delivery is rich, relaxed and with a flexibility reminiscent of Kurt Elling on hip reads of “ I Remember You” and a calm “That Sunday, That Summer.” He bops well with the snappy Schnelle on “Thou Swell,” lush on “ Tenderly” and reclined on “Funny (Not Much).” Bearde takes a chance and scores big as he’s mellow, unrushed and intimate along with a gentle Nelson and bowed “Boneham” on a richly mellow “Sweet Lorraine.” Confident in his calmness.