Year: 2010
Record Label: Steps Records
Style: Jazz Vocals
Musicians: Laura Harrison (vocals), Peter Smith, John Proulx (piano), Chris Colangelo, Kevin Axt (bass), Jimmy Branly, Steve Barnes (drums)
Review:
What a better way to start Canadian singer/composer Laura Harrison debut album Now Here than with the extraordinaire interpretation and fabulous scats in the Sarah Vaughan song Shulie a Bop. The hard swing, superb scats and amazing phrasing on this first track should tell you what's this lady is all about. Laura is a singer with complete command over her voice, a master of scats and improvisations. This is how a Jazz singer should sound like.
Laura sings in perfect portuguese in Vinicius de Moraes Berimbau. Two other great choices are the Ellington swingin compositions, Cottontail and Love you madly with some more great scats by Laura, this time reminiscent of another legend of Jazz, Ms. Ella Fitzgerald.
Laura technique and mezzo soprano voice allows her to sound just as good singing classical pieces like Bizet Habanera. Her compositions, Now Here with lyrics that reflect the struggle to finally record her first album, Reflection, and the two jazzy tunes Mi alma and Teesa's Blues are interesting both melodically and harmonically with a touch of poetry and personal lyrics, but always leaving space for vocal improvisations.
Laura shows her versitality as a singer in Ralph Towner Icarus, Sting Seven Days. and in the funky groove arrangement of Wouldn't it be loverly.
Tracks: Shulie a bop, Now Here, Berimbau, Reflections I concentrate on you, Mi alma, Love you madly, Wouldn't it be loverly, Teesa's blues, Habanera, Icarus, Seven days, Cottontail
Artist's Website: http://www.lauraharrisonmusic.com/
Reviewed by: Wilbert Sostre
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