Ladies sing more than the blues…
Vocalist Jackie Messina leads an adroit team of Bruce Barth/p, Will Galison/harm, Paul Beaudry-Ed Howard/b and Cliff Barbaro/dr through some clever and contemporary reads of standards and clever covers. Her honey’d voice is delicate as she swoons with Barth on the deft duet of “Quiet Now” and agonizes through the tango’d take of “I’m A Fool To Want You” with haunting and spartan drummerless support. Chromatic harmonica man Will Galison is a good call on the scene, adding blues hues to “Easy Street” and intimately sighing with Messina on “Little B’s Poem”. Messina softly sambas through “Slow, Hot Wind” and cozies up to you on “Show Me”. Sophisticated lady.
If you’re known by the company that you keep, then polish brass-toned vocalist Andy James should be heading places, as she’s teamed up with the best of the best on this recent collection of material. The team of Jon Cowherd/p, John Patitucci/b, Nate Smith/dr, Alex Acuna/perc, Adam Rogers/g, Marcus Strickland-Chris Potter/sax, Chico Pinheiro/ag and David Mann/fl are mixed and matched like Dave Roberts’ starting lineup. Even more intriguing is when James is supported by lush strings, allowing her to wisp through a harrowing read of “Daydream” and a deft “Time To Think”, with Paticucci waving his bass through the bowed traffic. James’ vibrato is palpable with Rogers and the pair of saxists on “When I look Into Your Eyes” and intimate in nylon strings as she stretches out the lyrics on “I’ll Be Seeing You”. Passionate poems.