Loverly

Never heard these timeless classics done so superbly. No one like Cassandra Wilson !!

"Loverly" is the fifth album by Jazz chanteuse Cassandra Wilson that I own. Its name is taken from the song "Wouldn't it be loverly" (from the musical "My fair lady" - an album which coincidentally I got on CD for the first time this week) which she covers here in a big band Jazz style.

"Loverly" is actually an album of covers, the lone original number being the heavily African accented "Arere" (thanks to Nigerian drummer Lekan Babalola, as well as Cassandra singing in Yoruba). The album has a rather loose, spontaneous feel which sounds great. Much like its predecessor "Thunderbird", it displays diverse musical hues in a subtle way.

Songs like the swinging piano sprinkled opening cut "Lover come back to me" (with an extensive piano solo as well as tenor sax), and "A sleeping bee" (with a nice guitar solo) are also given the big band Jazz treatment. "Caravan" is rich in percussion with a faint Cuban feel, "Dust my room" has a slide guitar/Blues sound, while "Gone with the wind" has an acoustic, Folk/Jazz feel. The tender "Spring can really hang you up the most" is a truly beautiful acoustic duet between her smoky vocals and guitarist Marvin Sewell's delicate plucking.

My favourites are the upbeat funky Jazz joint "St. James infirmary" (great piano and guitar playing, and funny lyrics about laying her man to rest), her spare reading of "The very thought of you" (her dusky vocals backed by just bass), and the stunning lilting "Black orpheus" (with a very light Cuban feel).

This album is simply a beauty which every music lover should own, truly (to borrow from her) "loverly"!

And finally, to Yinka, who is no longer around to read and tell me how great my reviews are, or to push me on to be the best I can. You were the wind beneath my wings my bro, my hero. This is for you.

Seeing other very positive reviews, I guess I was expecting something special. It is good, for sure, but there are a few aspects which stop it being great. The informality of the session is nice, but it does sometimes sound like a rehearsal. Wilson's voice has that unusual but appealing lugubriousness, but she does occasionally let herself down intonation-wise. The band are fine individually but sometimes get in each others' way. For example, when Sewell and Moran are both comping behind Wilson,it gets a bit too cluttered for my taste. Indeed, Sewell is a guitarist who I'd happily go to see perform, but I don't regard him as an ideal accompanist (rather like having Scofield there--that wouldn't work as well as , say Anthony Wilson or Russell Malone)

After the miserably over-produced "Thunderbird," this record has a spontaneity that's really refreshing. I must say that when I first heard that Cassandra Wilson was going to do an entire album of standards, I was a bit concerned that she would try to reinvent "Blue Skies." But this album feels a lot edgier to me than "Blue Skies," imbuing even the most traditional tracks with an in-the-moment vibrancy that makes them very modern. Other reviewers have already enthused about "Caravan" and "St. James Infirmary" - and I agree that these are both terrific, maybe the best tracks on the CD - but I also felt great joy at hearing Cassandra's rendition of "'Til There Was You," a track I wouldn't have seen myself intuitively connecting with. It's too soon for me to know how "Loverly" compares with my favorite CDs from this artist, but I'm pleased so far.

This CD seems to be recorded 'live' in the studio. You can hear Wilson directing the band whilst singing in certain places. Also, her while other musicians are soloing - you can hear her jovial self courting them with little phrases as they jam - thru open mics during the recording. Hence the production sounds a bit amateur-ish. Perhaps that is precisely what Wilson is going for. The song choices are certainly agreeable.

I saw this band live just after they recorded this album in Florida and the tunes sounded a bit more refined then. Overall an enjoyable ensemble of musicians and tunes. I still prefer the Thunderbird album, personally. Maybe my hopes were too high...