Womanchild

CÉCILE McLORIN SALVANT: WomanChild
Mack Avenue, 2013

JAZZ/BLUES VOCALS – Oh… my… GAWD. 23-year-old singer Cécile McLorin Salvant sounds like one of the all-time greats as she strides in and grabs this set with both hands. Some of the songs are 100 years old, some are brand new. She’s kittenish on some tunes, a bit like Betty Carter on others, and then she’s a full-throated blues belter on still others. But whichever side of her you get, she sounds just great. A very tasteful quartet comes along for the ride. This is really impressive.

Fo’s Picks: 1, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9

1. 3:02 – Bessie Smith lives! old-fashioned low-down blues, just voice/guitar
2. 6:07 – standard with a delicate elegance and playful, wide-open vocal style
3. 3:24 – cabaret-style verse mixed with an old-time bluesy cakewalk
4. 6:08 – original modern-jazz tune: darkly swinging groove & strong vocal
5. 5:12 – vocals in French: a low, relaxed swing tinged with melancholy
6. 5:16 – medley: uptown bluesy instrumental / stretched torchy vocal
7. 5:08 – cool old “jungle” novelty tune with a playfully weird vocal
8. 3:21 – lazy back-porch blues with guitar & light percussion… so perfect!
9. 5:14 – jazzed-up folksong: swings lightly under a driving vocal… very cool!
10. 6:52 – rare vocal version of light swing standard, voice/piano duet
11. 8:15 – vocal descends from on high, flits around spare trio, then fast swing
12. 1:56 – poetic original tune, duet w/piano, lots of drama

[ Fo ] - 13 June 2013