The female voice in many colors…
I last heard vocalist Deanne Matley on an album about 4 years ago and was impressed with her flexibility. She hasn’t lost that quality, creating a rich kaleidoscope of moods with Taurey Burler/p, Morgan Moore/b, Richard Irwin/dr, Steve Raegele/g and Paul Shrofel/p for a mix of originals and covers. She’s clear and hep when she swings through her own “The Alberta Lounge” and tender with Raegele’s strings on “If You Were Here Today”. She knows how to bop out a lyric, sizzling through a rapid run 
of “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love” with Irwin, and she growls with Moore on “The Land Was White (When Summer Comes)”, while gorgeously dramatic for “Hymn To Freedom”. Colors of music.
Nicki Bluhm is throwback to the days of 70s folksy rockers like Bonnie Raitt and Linda Ronstadt, even wearing vintage peasant dresses and other clothes that look like something from an Aardvark’s Odd Ark store. She’s not an imitator, though, mixing and matching with Jay Bellerose-Richard Millsap, Jesse Noah Wilson-ben Condos-Andrew Gein/b-key, Kai Welch/p,, James 
Pennebaker/pedst, Karl Denson/sax and other guests for Laurel Canyon sounds l ike the 60sish “Learn To Love Myself” and the waltzing “Juniper Woodsmoke”. At times, she and the band sounds like early Fleetwood Mac as on the mellow “Sweet Surrender” while the team rides off into the sunset on “Wheels Rolling”. There’s a two stepping hoe down on “Feel” and a 50s sway on “Love To Spare”. Trying to take the parking lot out of Paradise.
Ce Ce Gable teams up with a sleek team of all stars in Alan Broadbent/p, Harvie S/b, Roni Ben-Hur/g and Matt Wilson/dr for some classy reads of jazz standards. She’s dreamy with Ben-Hur and S on “Two For The Road” while nimble around the lyrics of “No Moon At All” as she glides over Broadbent’s nimble fingers. A duet with the bassist produces an enchanting take of “Come Rain Or Come Shine” and she converses with Ben-Hur for “From Me To You”. Ben-Hur’s nylon strings are a velvety frame on a tasty
“Like A Lover” and Broadbent creates stark blue moods for Gable to haunt on “The Last Goodbye”. Rich reads.
There are only two songs on this ep by vocalist Nancy Kelly, but they leave you with a taste for more. Her two songs have her in the hip shadows of John DiMartino/p-key, d Howard/b Freddie Hendrix/tp, Harry Allen/ts, Carmen Intorre Jr/dr-perc, Wesley Amorim/g and Jimmy Johns/vib. Her “Jazz Woman” has a bohemian soul feel, accentuated by Hendrix’s muted noir trumpet as Kelly coos out the lyrics. “Move Over” saunters with Allen’s breathy tenor sax and Johns’ vibes adding long shadows to Kelly’s alluring lyrics. By saying less, she makes you lean in.
Like the best of the singing jazz vets, Carol Sloane has successfully replace expression for chops in order to put a song across. Here, backed by the lithe team of Scott Hamilton on tenor sax, bassist Jay Leonhart and pianist Mike Renzi, Sloane gives easy and relaxed swing reads to standards like “Havin’ Myself A Time” and the easy bopping “As Long As I Live” . She sighs with Hamilton and Leonhart on the medley “Glad to Be Unhappy/I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues” and tells a story well on “I Don’t Want To Walk Without You”. Renzi strides right as he cozies up with Sloane on “Blue Turning Grey Over You” and Hamilton blows smoke rings on “You’re Driving ME Crazy”. A visceral read of “If I Should Lose You” shows that you don’t need range to hit home emotionally, she hits you where you live.