A pair of albums by ladies that also make a living on stage or theater…
Linda Lavin is best known for her role in the sitcom Alice, and shows here that she knows how to work a lyric as well, joining up with a swinging team of Billy Stritch/p, Aaron Weinstein/v-mand, Tom Hubbard/b, Jeff Barone/g, Joel Key/banj and Daniel Glass/dr. Her voice is slightly reminiscent of Carol Channing, enunciating well yet stretching out a lyric for extra fun, bouncing with Stritch on “I’ve Got Eyes On You” and cozy with Weinstein’s strings on “Not A Care In The World/Shall We Dance”. She’s sweet with Barone’s guitar and some synthy strings background on the samba “Chega De Saudade” while giving a hip read with Hubbard’s bass line on Steely Dan’s “Black Cow”. A duet with Stritch gives a hotcha “Ace In The Hole/Rap Tap On Wood”, and Weinstein’s mandolin gives a cozy feel to “ Just Squeeze Me”. High on the Nielsen charts.
Having received a Drama Desk Award for her work on Broadway for the musical In The Heights, Janet Dacal pours out her heart, and almost out of her dress, as she infuses her Cuban heritage into a collection of American Standards. Dacal is as bright and brassy as a bebop trumpeter as she exuberates over the team of Alberto Salas/p-key, Ramon Stagnaro/g-b-tr, Alex Arce/dr, Monica Sierra/guiro, Steve Giraldo/tp, David Uruidi/ts and guest vocalists. The Latinized takes of pieces like “It Don’t Mean A Thing” and a salsa’d “Moondance” are exciting forays, and Dacal plunges into it like she’s doing a cannonball. The sizzling percussion and bass line leads into Urquidi’s rich tenor solo in support of Dacal singing in Spanish for a torrid “L-O-V-E” and she sizzles like fried rice on “Fever”. Her bold solo vocal intro to “Begin The Beguine” grabs you by the throat, where she draws you in with more being less on a cozy teaming with Stagnaro on a delicate “Sabor A Mi”. No musical wallflower here!