Ranee Lee sings with a classic dark and haunting atmosphere, conjuring up sonic visions of Roberta Flack on this weary-soul covers. There’s a haunting chamber strings atmosphere to “ Nature Boy” and the eerie wall paper of “Tale As Old As Time”. Don DiLauro adds muted horn to the ominous “My Heart Will G On” with Carlos Jimenez’s guitar cutting through the haze on the lacrimal “All By Myself”. She takes you to a dark alley on “House of the Rising Sun/Je Crois Toe” and agonizes on the pleading “The Prayer”. Heart of soul.
Intimate duets are created by chanteuse Laura Anglade and guitarist Sam Kirmayer on this intimate collection of bohemia. Kirmayer brings a folksy swing to cozy pieces like “Venez Donc Chez Moi” and is gentle on “Que Rest-T-Il De Nos Amours?”. The two are slow and tender on “La Chanson De Maxence” and personal on “Ce Matin-La”. Benjamin Rosenblum brings in his accordion for some extra Rive Gauche on the joyful “Jaime Paris Au Mois De Mai” and the wordless “Chez Laurette”, making you feel you’re strolling along the sidewalk and taking in the street sounds. Where do I through the Euro?
Ada Bird Wolfe is like a female version of Mark Murphy, armed with a jazz pulse but as flexible as Salt Water Taffy, teamed with Jamieson Trotter/p, Dan Lutz/b, Peter Buck/dr and Scott Mayo/wwinds.
She’s quite clever, teaming with Mayo’s flute for the nursery rhymed swinger “Ashes, Ashes” and simmering with him on ‘ Somehting Fast, Something Light”. She does a doozy of a duet with Lutz on a bluesy “In The Shade” as well as an intimate teaming with Trotter on “Ordinary Man” and on a “Did I Ever” that eventually leads to a lithe trio outing. She slithers around Buck’s chicka boom on “The Wave” and displays her sensibilities of swing on “Odd Bird Bop” and “An Egg”. Would love to see this lady in concert. Whew!