Love Is...The Tender Trap

Tienda Stacy Kent has a voice like the great Dinah Washington's, immediate in its grab of the ear and incisive in its tonal shape. Kent's middle range has a washing quality that pushes the edges forward, even as the edges lilt upward or warble excitedly. Kent and her British band--virtual unknowns prior to this debut--are sure to splash big, with their spare ballad approach (as on Duke Ellington and Bob Russell's "I Didn't Know About You") or their rumbling swing on George Gershwin's "They All Laughed." Pianist David Newton glides across melodies with a light touch but then launches sparkling solos full of funky harmonics--hear "The Tender Trap" for Kent and Newton's mix of charming voice and odd pianism. The band is creative enough to feel at ease reaching into great instrumental passages, giving Kent a first-class platform from which to cue up phrasing that nods to Ella Fitzgerald and a unique, fetching overall style all her own. --Andrew Bartlett Críticas JAZZ SINGERS are poised for their most significant showing in many years: Diana Krall, Kevin Mahogany, Steven Kowalczyk. But who can we boast? An American, Stacey Kent. Most vocalists either think too much or too little about the words their singing. They over-dramatise, try to be horn players, or else chop the sense of the lyric or change the words. Stacey does none of these things. She sings 12 handsome standards -- nothing too obscure, nothing you never want to hear again -- and by halfway you're not thinking about anything else but the music, these songs, that voice. Her debut for Candid was pitched almost entirely as a ballad album. This one is less lovelorn, more smiling, with a shade more pace. Yet, when Kent glides over Fools Rush In or East Of The Sun, with Jim Tomlinson's tenor lines an irresistible second voice, she opens the emotion of the song like a lotus. Perfect track: They Say It's Wonderful. It is. - Richard Cook -- MOJO, August 1998. Jazz Album Of The Month.On Kent's fine 1997 debut, Close Your Eyes, her exaggerated vibrato distracted a bit from her otherwise delightful voice and her in-the-pocket sense of swing. But on Kent's second disc, the vibrato has been reduced, as if someone had turned a knob back from 10 to eight. In full force again are Kent's effortless groove, her smooth-as-ice diction, and her smart lyrical interpretations.Listen to the subtle, dreamy web she weaves on "They Say It's Wonderful," then check out the sassy spunk on the very next tune, "Don't Be That Way." Best of all, listen to the way Kent and pianist David Newton gently caress each other on "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning." Jim Tomlinson turns in some tasty tenor-sax solos, too.Kent's voice is not everyone's cup of tea. It is not rich in texture, and it arrives with just the slightest hint of stuffed nose. But there's a lithe muscularity there that ultimately proves difficult to resist. A tender trap indeed.Kent takes after Tony Bennett, choosing great standards and working hard to give them the sweet treatment they deserve. She swings better than she sobs, and she has not yet developed the presence to make you forget other singers who have performed these same tunes. But this recording would seem to suggest that her powers are growing. Kent is a New Yorker living in England. Before long, she'll be making a name back home.--- Jonathan Eig, JAZZIZ Magazine Copyright © 2000, Milor Entertainment, Inc. -- From Jazziz

Detalles del producto Descatalogado por el fabricante : No Dimensiones del producto : 5,55 x 4,97 x 0,54 pulgadas; 2,88 Onzas Fabricante : Chiaroscuro Records Producto en Tienda desde : febrero 11, 2007 Etiqueta : Chiaroscuro Records ASIN : B00000HX71 Número de discos : 1 Clasificación en los más vendidos de Amazon: nº243,918 en CDs y Vinilo (Ver el Top 100 en CDs y Vinilo) nº3,517 en Jazz Vocal (CDs y Vinilo) nº4,630 en Pop Vocal Tradicional (CDs y Vinilo) nº14,253 en Pop Vocal (CDs y Vinilo) Opiniones de clientes: 4.6 4.6 de 5 estrellas (68) Descatalogado por el fabricante : No Dimensiones del producto : 5,55 x 4,97 x 0,54 pulgadas; 2,88 Onzas Fabricante : Chiaroscuro Records Producto en Tienda desde : febrero 11, 2007 Etiqueta : Chiaroscuro Records ASIN : B00000HX71 Número de discos : 1 Clasificación en los más vendidos de Amazon: nº243,918 en CDs y Vinilo (Ver el Top 100 en CDs y Vinilo) nº3,517 en Jazz Vocal (CDs y Vinilo) nº4,630 en Pop Vocal Tradicional (CDs y Vinilo) nº14,253 en Pop Vocal (CDs y Vinilo) Opiniones de clientes: 4.6 4.6 de 5 estrellas (68)