1.
Memphis In June
2. All The Way
3. Lazy Susan
4. You Can't Slow My Heart Down
5. Let Me Be What You Be To Me
6. Catch The Wind
7. Solitude
8. Willow Weep For Me
9. The World Stopped Turning
10. All Of Me
11. One Fine Day
12. If I Loved You
13. Lazy Afternoon
14. Take It With Me
Liane Carroll – Vocals, piano, Wurlitzer electric
piano
Ian Shaw – Piano (track 12)
London-born
vocalist Liane Carroll is a one-off. She is
totally individual, and you can identify her
from the very first notes of any recording
she makes. She sings well and accompanies
herself at the piano but she’s nothing like
a gentle cocktail-bar performer. Even on this
album of 14 ballads, her dynamism is evident
on nearly every track. Indeed, her singing
is so powerful that she sometimes reminds
me of a schoolteacher shouting at an unruly
group of pupils across a playground.
One
result of her forceful delivery is that it
can obscure the lyrics, especially as her
piano is recorded prominently and her playing
is as outspoken as her singing. However, apart
from these minor flaws, this is a very enjoyable
album, thanks not only to Liane’s unique style
but also to a well-chosen diversity of material.
All the songs are slow, except for the medium-tempo
bounce of All Of Me, but they vary
from the emotion of All The Way through
the pensive Solitude to the innocence
of If I Loved You. The repertoire includes
jazz standards like Willow Weep For Me,
numbers by such singer-songwriters as Laura
Nyro and Tom Waits, and an original composition
– You Can’t Slow My Heart Down - co-written
by Liane with Peter Kirtley. This song illustrates
Carroll’s range: fervour mixed with lyricism,
tenderness alongside power. She often intersperses
her singing with wordless vocals, which work
well because of Liane’s obvious passion.
In
a world of carbon-copy vocalists, Liane is
refreshingly her own person. No wonder she
won two BBC jazz awards in quick succession.
Tony Augarde
CD Reviews
Splash
Point SPR 004 CD
