In the world of jazz singers, it is a rare lady that is able to sound fresh and personal yet still keep a sense of the jazz tradition. Canadian vocalist Denise Leslie straddles the world of balancing art and songbook with an impressive debut that gives a sense of street pulse savvy along with a finger snapping accessibility.
She’s supported by a soulful ensemble of Bob McAlpine/g, Pat Collins/b, Paul DeLong/dr, Don Baird/B3-synth, Arturo Avalos/perc and a hip ensemble of Lighthouse Horns that gives a Memphis swamp to the STAXY groove of “Sneak Love”.
The thing most attractive about Leslie is that she feels confident in her own skin, especially as she gives unique and clever reads of songs we’ve heard before, making them all her own. She’s sounding a bit of a raconteur with an early Tom Waits feel alongside the bass and high hat giving style to the noirish read of “Driven To Tears” while taking the romantic “Day After Day” by Badfinger and painting it in darker shades with strong and assured soulful textures. With layered vocal support and intimate guitar framework by McAlpine, she gets bluesy while telling her tale on “Reminiscing” and is confident and confident with Boz Scaggs’ “Harbor Lights”. She enunciates clearly with the bohemian poetry of “Into The Mystic” and comes out of the caravan tent with confidence, triumph and a twinkle in her eye to DeLong’s backbeat in “Midnight At THE Oasis”. Her vocal range is expressed best as she swoops into the depths of Baird’s think B3 on “Is That What Love Is All About” and comes out in triumph.
Her jazz compass works well as she takes the usually soft and wistful “More Than You Know” and gives it an assured pulsation, riding the crest of the rhythm team like a veteran long boarder, and she’s flexible and elastic as she glisten’s in the medley “I’m In The Mood For Love/Moody’s Mood”. Each song, and each interpretation makes you feel that this lady is in control of the situation and knows where she’s driving the V8. It’s a pleasure to ride shotgun with this lady at the wheel.
https://music.apple.com/ca/album/one-fine-morning/1490484123