Hazel Mitchell-Bell: Sack Full of Dreams

Classy and uptown soft swing and soul is delivered by vocalist Hazel Mitchell-Bell as she gives tribute to all of the right inspirations on this recent album. She has a patient and relaxed delivery, sort of like a nuanced Nancy Wilson, but she shows that she can also burn the embers  hot, getting swampy on Nina Simone’s “Do I Move  You” with guitarist Alvin White. The core team of Vice Evans/p-key, JC Jefferson Jr/dr, James B. King Jr/b, Kenny Rittenhouse/tp and Craig Alston/sax help set moods ranging from a soft and bluesy title tune to a sweet and samba’d take of “Where Is Love”. Mitchell-Bell shows her church roots as she melds Sunday morning, street soul and jazz to Jefferson’s cadence on “Hurry Up This Way Again” with aplomb, while she testifies to Aretha Franklin’s “Spirit In The Dark”. She shows how to get cozy with a lyric with Evans and King on “When Did You Leave Heaven” while shining like a disco ball on the soulful “What I Did For Love” and glowing like a candle with string support for the personal “Dance With My Father” and “Meet Me on The Moon”. This lady sings like she has nothing to prove, thereby proving a lot.

www.hazelmitchellbellmusic.com

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