Introducing

Amazon.com Robin McKelle is being promoted as a '40s-style jazz singer, but though she does pluck tunes from the era on this enjoyable debut, her full-frontal approach is steeped in the brassy big band sounds of the late '50s and early '60s. A bicoastal stylist who draws equally from the lilting jazz purity of Ella Fitzgerald and the pop pizzazz of Barbra Streisand, she is a refreshing departure from all those female jazz singers currently vying for attention with coy understatement or an overreliance on technique. Introducing Robin McKelle was produced by Willie Murillo, previously an arranger for Brian Setzer and Aimee Mann, who is responsible for an unlikely arrangement of "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen" that morphs from moody chamber piece into full-fledged Latin treatment. The album's other highlights include a lovely, understated rendition of "For All We Know," a winning duet with Robbie Wycoff on Sammy Fain's "You Brought a New Kind of Love," and a slam-bang treatment of "Come Rain or Come Shine." Throughout, McKelle luxuriates in her love of the music without overdoing the nostalgia. A third-place finisher in the 2004 Thelonious Monk Vocal Jazz Competition, she scores here by avoiding predictability without trying to. --Lloyd Sachs Product Description The debut of vocalist Robin McKelle is a throwback to an earlier era when singers were backed by big bands as they sang songs destined to become standards. Although McKelle doesnt break new ground in her interpretations of this material and doesnt take many chances she is an expressive performer opening with an exuberant slightly breathy Somethings Gotta Give followed by an enchanting cha cha treatment of Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen. Vocalist Robbie Wykoff joins her for her a duet of Youve Brought a New Kind of Love to Me. Shes clearly having fun in Yes My Darling Daughter a forgotten number from the big band era with a brief detour into a Latin setting. The orchestra which sometimes adds a string section brings life to the charts adapted or transcribed by trumpeter Willie Murillo and trombonist David Stout while the band includes veteran jazz instrumentalists like clarinetist Gary Foster guitarist Larry Koonse and tenor saxophonist Pete Christlieb. ~ Ken Dryden
ASIN: B000EWKLIA
VSKU: DBV.B000EWKLIA.G
Condition: Good
Author/Artist:MCKELLE,ROBIN
Binding: Audio cd
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Condition Notes: Individually inspected: Guaranteed to play perfectly or your money back. Case may show wear and may be in library packaging. Ships Fast!