At one time, singer/songwriter Lorraine Feather was considered to be jazz’s female version to Dave Frishberg, delivering clever lyrics to bopping themes. Over the years, however, she’s kind of glided into becoming the female read of Tom Waits, delving into dark themes and ideas. This latest album, which has her mixing and matching with some of jazz’s finest in Ray Brinker-Dafnis Prieto/dr, Grant Geissman/g, Russell Ferrante-Shelly Berg/p amongst others including various strings, catches her going dark, dark darkest on pieces like “The Green World” or elliptical for “Disappearing Universe”. She trudges over “Canoe” and is harrowing in mood for “Everybody Loves You” , even rocking a bit on “Another Layer of Nuance”.
Ms. Feather brings all of the lyrics, while the tunes are supplied by Eddie Arki, Russell Ferrante, Shelly Berg (for a post bopping “Splat!) and chamber’d “The Seafloor” by the pen of Michael Valerio, among others. The songs feel more for the atmosphere of a play than a jazz club-where’s the libretto?