Women with a word..
The songbook of Michel Legrand is served well on this album by vocalist Vivian Buczek, joined by Mathias Heise/harm, Peter Asplund/tp-fh, Martin Sjostedt/p-key, Jesper Bodilsen/b and Zoltan Csorsz/dr. She mixes and matches throughout, with the highlight being a gorgeous duet with Bodilsen on the bowed “You Must Believe In Spring” while she does a sprinter’s pace on “Summer Me, Winter Me” with the band. She skates with Asplund on” Le Grand Michel” and dances around Sjostedt’s droplets during “I’ll Wait For You”. Her range is flawless on a tensile “ The Way He Makes Me Feel” and she’s expressively mature with Heise for “The Windmills of Your Mind”. No movies needed.
Here’s a lady that’s got her finer on someone’s pulse. Brenda Earle Stokes sings her songs of various stages of motherhood, and she hits it all on the right notes playing the piano with Evan Gregor/b, Ross Pedersondr, Ingrid Jensen/tp and Melissa Stylianou-Nicole Zuraitis/voc. The messages range from kids moving out (“Saying Goodbye”) to trying not to lose your mind (“Who Am I Now”), even singing about the delivery date on “The Endless Wait”. The music itself is completely satisfying as well, with Jensen joining in on the bluesy “Sharp Edges” and Stokes’ piano adding a jazz feel to the Broadwayish “This Is Your Childhood”. An XX-elent release.
Rare is the female vocalist that sounds fresh and has her own material to present. Singer Vanish Gould teams up with the flexible ensemble of Chris McCarthy/p, John Sims/b and Jongkuk Kim/dr for eleven well crafted originals. She’s got a dark honey of a voice that sounds both world wise and wide eyed, with her songs brimming over with ideas. She’s authoritative around Sims on the post bopping title tune, and street smart around his bow during “Just A Man”. She holds just enough back of the beat around McCarthy on a savvy “Oh My Dear Friends” and reflects like a mirror on “Donovan”, classy as a lassie with the pianist on “Now You’re Here”. A voice that sounds comfortable in her skin.