Queen Esther / Things Are Looking Up
| Album: | Things Are Looking Up | Collection: | A-File | |
| Artist: | Queen Esther | Added: | Sep 2024 | |
| Label: | El Recordings | |||
A-File Activity
| Add Date: | 2024-09-30 | Pull Date: | 2024-12-02 | Charts: | Jazz |
|---|
| Week Ending: | Nov 10 | Oct 27 | Oct 20 | Oct 13 | Oct 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airplays: | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
Recent Airplay
| 1. | Nov 09, 2024: | Music Casserole
Gold Standard |
4. | Oct 15, 2024: | Traditions
Blow, Blossoms |
|
| 2. | Oct 26, 2024: | where's my snail?
Glad to Be Unhappy |
5. | Oct 10, 2024: | Oh Messy Life
Flashin’ in Front of My Eyes |
|
| 3. | Oct 22, 2024: | Traditions
Blow, Blossoms |
6. | Oct 08, 2024: | Traditions
Things Are Looking Up |
Album Review
Be Sharp
Reviewed 2024-09-16
Reviewed 2024-09-16
JAZZ: FEMALE VOCALS
In a departure from her previous country & blues albums, Queen Esther shows off her vocal power & versatility with a tribute to Billie Holiday. Tracks 2, 3, 6, 8, 9, 10, and 12 are songs Lady Day herself recorded, while tracks 1, 4, 5, 7, and 11 are new compositions. Accompaniment is piano, upright bass, and drums (called “trio” in the track descriptions), plus an electric hollowbody guitar on some tracks.
RIYL Billie Holiday, Cassandra Wilson, Cecile McLorin Salvant
FCC clean
1 ** mid-fast, peppy, fun & quite “jazzy”; about leaving town. trio + gtr. drum solo (3:20)
2 * mid-tempo but still swinging. having a good time. just the trio (2:55)
3 very slow. melancholy ballad about troubles ahead. just the trio, subdued (6:19)
4 very slow. bluesy crawl. anticipating the coming end of an affair. just the trio (4:22)
5 mid-slow. night-clubby put down of a no-good man. trio plus guitar solo (3:28)
6 ** very slow. moody Rodgers & Hart tune from a 1930s musical; a love has ended but she’s ok. lovely singing; trio accompaniment incl nice bass & piano solos (5:11)
7 * slow. she finally found a high-quality man; sultry singing with the trio (6:14)
8 very slow. brokenhearted, looking for someone new. just the trio, nice piano solo (3:19)
9 *** mid-tempo but bouncy. an expressive reading of a Gershwin brothers song with especially nice piano accompaniment. my favorite track. (2:41)
10 slow. a piece from Leonard Bernstein’s ballet, Fancy Free. it drags a bit. trio (2:47)
11 ** mid-fast. a happy, soulful number about living the high life. very good trio (4:28)
12 slow & sultry. happy to be in a new love. just trio, piano solo. very mellow (3:16)
In a departure from her previous country & blues albums, Queen Esther shows off her vocal power & versatility with a tribute to Billie Holiday. Tracks 2, 3, 6, 8, 9, 10, and 12 are songs Lady Day herself recorded, while tracks 1, 4, 5, 7, and 11 are new compositions. Accompaniment is piano, upright bass, and drums (called “trio” in the track descriptions), plus an electric hollowbody guitar on some tracks.
RIYL Billie Holiday, Cassandra Wilson, Cecile McLorin Salvant
FCC clean
1 ** mid-fast, peppy, fun & quite “jazzy”; about leaving town. trio + gtr. drum solo (3:20)
2 * mid-tempo but still swinging. having a good time. just the trio (2:55)
3 very slow. melancholy ballad about troubles ahead. just the trio, subdued (6:19)
4 very slow. bluesy crawl. anticipating the coming end of an affair. just the trio (4:22)
5 mid-slow. night-clubby put down of a no-good man. trio plus guitar solo (3:28)
6 ** very slow. moody Rodgers & Hart tune from a 1930s musical; a love has ended but she’s ok. lovely singing; trio accompaniment incl nice bass & piano solos (5:11)
7 * slow. she finally found a high-quality man; sultry singing with the trio (6:14)
8 very slow. brokenhearted, looking for someone new. just the trio, nice piano solo (3:19)
9 *** mid-tempo but bouncy. an expressive reading of a Gershwin brothers song with especially nice piano accompaniment. my favorite track. (2:41)
10 slow. a piece from Leonard Bernstein’s ballet, Fancy Free. it drags a bit. trio (2:47)
11 ** mid-fast. a happy, soulful number about living the high life. very good trio (4:28)
12 slow & sultry. happy to be in a new love. just trio, piano solo. very mellow (3:16)
Track Listing
| 1. | Blow, Blossoms (3:20) | 7. | Clean Blue Flame (6:13) | |||
| 2. | Having Myself a Time (2:55) | 8. | I’ll Look Around (3:19) | |||
| 3. | Detour Ahead (6:19) | 9. | Things Are Looking Up (2:40) | |||
| 4. | Flashin’ in Front of My Eyes (4:22) | 10. | Big Stuff (2:47) | |||
| 5. | Gold Standard (3:28) | 11. | Paris on the Moon (4:27) | |||
| 6. | Glad to Be Unhappy (5:10) | 12. | If the Moon Turns Green (3:15) |