CD Review: Henry Darragh - Tell her for me

CD Review: Henry Darragh - Tell her for me

Featured Artist: Henry Darragh

CD Title: Tell her for me

Year: 2010

Record Label: Independent

Style: Jazz Vocals

Musicians: Henry Darragh (vocals, piano, trombone), Seth Paynter (sax), Carol Morgan (trumpet), Erin Wright (guitar, bass), Glen Ackerman (bass), Chuck Payne (drums)

Review: There are some great male singers in the history of jazz like Louis Armsrong Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and more recently Harry Connick Jr. but male jazz singers have always been a minority. Well there’s a new name to add to the list, talented singer, composer, piano and trombone player Henry Darragh.

Usually jazz singers prefer to record recognized jazz standards instead of original compositions. Henry Darragh chose the hard way, recording mostly originals on his album Tell her for me.

Tell her for me have a perfect balance between swinging tunes like Tell her for me and Hey there and slower, romantic tunes like Dream boxes, Missing you and Everything happens to me.

Henry strength as a composer is his ability to write about situations everyone can identify with. For example Regret is a song about the regrets of being afraid to talk to a woman you like, just to ask yourself later, what if?

Once in a while lyrics are another good example, this time the question “is that special person thinking about even if it is just once in a while?” Master trumpet player Carol Morgan plays a great solo on this one.

As a singer, Darragh voice is similar in tone and phrasing to Harry Connick Jr. The album also includes the instrumental piece Early, where everyone has a chance to show their improvisation skills, including Henry Darragh on trombone.

Tell her for me is an excellent debut album for this multitalented singer/musician/composer.

Tracks: Hey there, Regret, Everything happens to me, Once in a while, Early, Dream boxes, Missing you, Tell her for me, Wrong ending, Look for the silver lining, The Harvard dictionary of music song

Artist's Website: http://www.henrydarragh.com

Reviewed by: Wilbert Sostre