Stacey Kent - vocals; Jim Tomlinson - tenor saxophone, flute; Colin
Oxley - guitar; David Newton - piano; Simon Thorpe - bass; Jasper
Kviberg - drums.
Recorded 3/4th July, 7th September 2001, England.
1. Shall We Dance ?
2. Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered
3. My Heart Stood Still
4. It Never Entered My Mind
5. I Wish I Were In Love Again
6. Thou Swell
7. It Might As Well Be Spring
8. Nobody's Heart ( Belongs To Me )
9. I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair
10. This Can't Be Love
11. Easy To Remember
12. Manhattan
13. Bali Ha'i
Stacey Kent has made optimum use of her talent on
this latest recording. She has really cashed in on the idea of "less
is more" in that these performances are full of control and subtle
understatement . Her voice is not amongst the more powerful ones and
she does not possess the greatest of ranges, but like all good artists,
she makes optimum use of what she has. Her delivery is on the gentle
side but there are also strong traits of Ella Fitzgerald in her tonal
nuances and phrasing (" Thou Swell" is a good example of this). She
is capable of bringing to mind many other great interpreters of the
material ( Astrid Gilberto on "It Might As Well Be Spring " for instance)
but she manages to add something of herself to each selection.
The other members of the band are all superlative
and have the opportunity to shine on many occasions . Jim Tomlinson
plays excellent tenor with a light, cool approach - he builds his
phrases a la Getz on " Bewitched" and plays an eerie solo introduction
to "It Never Entered My Mind " - his sound and concept are almost
classical. He has the ability to give a more swinging, booting performance
as illustrated by his solo on "This Can't Be Love". Colin Oxley is
featured on guitar on "It Never Entered My Mind" and the piano playing
of David Newton can be heard to great effect both as a solo and accompanying
voice throughout, but special mention must be made of his chorus on
"My Heart Stood Still".
The selection of material is wonderful. The Richard
Rodgers songbook is arguably the finest in all popular music, covering,
as it does, such a large timespan. Many of the all-time favourites
are here along with such lesser known delights as "Nobody's Heart
Belongs To Me". Both lyricists were able to portray wit and charm
which complemented the music to perfection . This album is a most
worthy project.
Dick Stafford
CANDID CCD 79786
