Love And Mischief

JAZZ VOCALS

This terrific debut release features an impressive range of styles on a mix of covers (some well-known, some less so) and original tunes. Wells’ voice is warm & pleasing. Tight accompaniment is piano, bass, drums, add trumpet on several tracks, add guitar on #2. A guest male vocalist provides a warm baritone on tracks 8 and 10.

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1 * Mid-tempo. Amusing lyric: the girl likes to be waited on. Trumpet bridge. Fun. (4:00)
2 * Slow ballad. Lyric set in New Orleans. Fine vox; restrained ‘comp. Guitar bridge. (5:39)
3 Mid-tempo. Vampy lyric about a confident woman (maybe a call girl?); liner notes say she’s based on Audrey Hepburn’s Holly Golightly. Bar-room piano bridge. (4:49)
4 Very slow. Torchy ballad. Piano ‘comp; trumpet bridge. Sleeping pill of a song. (5:40)
5 * Mid-tempo. Swingin’, old-timey feel. Nice Ella-like flourishes. Bass solo bridge. (2:28)
6 ** Very slow. Velvety smooth voice covers a well-known song (Nat Cole, others). Fine accompaniment by upright bass & tom-toms. Elegant piano bridge. (4:02)
7 * Mid-tempo. Stylish take on Fats Waller tune shows off Wells' power. Passionate. (3:41)
8 Medley: slow with Wells and piano; then mid-tempo with male vox & band; then slow again w both voices. Less a true duet than separate pieces merely glued together. (5:27)
9 Very slow, mellow ballad. Quaint lyrics. Elegant trumpet bridge. (4:47)
10 Mid-tempo, swinging. Piano & snare ‘comp. Familiar Xmas-season song with switched gender roles. Good interplay of voices. Would be fun to play close to Xmas. (2:38)
11 Mid-fast. Bouncy & fun. Retro ’60s feel. Cute lyrics. Piano bridge. (3:12)