A large orchestra with
strings plays the backings; additionally
there are guest soloists on most tracks.
If I had to sum it up in a word, the
word would be quality. The arrangements
are first class, the musicians of the
best and Steve’s own vocals make him
a worthy successor to Sinatra, Ray Charles,
Nat Cole and the other great American
song stylists. The guest soloists include
Clark Terry, Michael Brecker, Plas Johnson
and violinist Antoine Silverman and
you can’t get much better than that!
The arrangements are by Burt Bacharach,
Bob Mann and Dave Grusin and so in that
department the quality continues, these
guys are the best in the business.
I have heard Steve
Tyrell’s work previously and I have
always enjoyed it. He knows how to deliver
a song and without being a jazz singer,
in the sense that he doesn’t improvise,
there is a lot of jazz feel in his delivery
and phrasing and he sounds very comfortable
working with the various soloists. It
is interesting that the totally different
styles of Michael Brecker and Plas Johnson
both seem to fit so well. Alan Pasqua’s
piano playing is polished and a thing
of great beauty throughout the whole
album.
The song selection
is also good, all the tracks bar one
are already familiar, but the excellence
of this production puts them in a new
context. If you like high quality vocal
albums and you have the works of the
previous ‘greats’ in your collection,
get this one you won’t be disappointed.
Steve Tyrell and everyone involved is
of the very best you are ever likely
to hear.
Don Mather
CD Reviews
Columbia
513655 2
