Singers like Allan Harris are such a rare breed that when one is sptted you’ve got to take notice. He’s got a rich sound to his voice, not a hint of “smooth” jazz glibness in sight, and sounds like he’s both singing and conversing with you at the same time. He teams up with a snappy teamof Pascal Le Boeuf/key, Leon Boykins/b, Jake Boldbas/dr, Yotam Silberstein/g and Samuel Torres/perc for a mix of tunes that spans generations, with even a few originals thrown in for good measure.
He sounds hip and collected on uptempo finger snappers like “I Got A Lot of Lovin’ To Do” and his own “Love’s the Key” where he sounds both optimistic and cleverly behind the beat. With some tasty piano musings, he delivers Kenny Rankin’s breezy “Haven’t We Met” and Brazilian “Catfish” with control and dexterity, reaching both high and low for everything hit to him like a Golden Glove third baseman. I sounds cozy and late nighish on “Stranger on the Shore” and with a smoky B3 goods bluesy and moody on a harrowing take of “My Funny Valentine.” A hit of Bill Withers pops up every now and again, especially when he picks up his acoustic guitar on John Mayer’s “Daughters” and goes nimble and bouncy on the bopping “I’ve Got The Blues.” Lots to here, and he’d better be on tour soon!
Love Productions Records