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Shirley Crabbe
Shirley Crabbe's new album Home seems to be a celebration on many levels. This classically-trained singer who has also paid her jazz dues obviously loves to sing jazz and has a special love for each of the 9 songs recorded here. But there is more - she has come through the worst nightmare that a singer can imagine: losing her voice.
After the horrible feeling that her voice was going, Shirley Crabbe finally had to give up singing completely. Undaunted, she continued to study music before undergoing a nerve-wracking operation meant to restore her singing voice. Such an operation is always a gamble, with the very real possibility that the voice will never be the same and may even be lost for good. Fortunately, Shirley came out the other side with her magnificent voice restored. And that is good news for us as well as her.
The album begins with a spirited version of Leonard Bernstein's classic Lucky To Be Me, sung with such joy and conviction that you can't help but feel Shirley Crabbe's joy in singing in such full voice. A great rendition of a song that we don't hear often enough.
The good vibes continue into You Taught My Heart To Sing. This is another uplifting performance that will have you tapping your feet and humming along (unless you break out into song yourself, that is).
Home is a softer reflection on the meaning of home tinged with melancholy that never slides into simple sadness. The superb band sounds great with some subtle brass colors and a fine trombone solo.
The ballad mood continues into Seasons. The song starts with an almost minimalist approach by the band, leaving plenty of space for Shirley Crabbe's sumptuous voice to take center stage. Once again the group is just great, especially the exceptional piano work of Donald Vega.
The beat picks back up with Detour Ahead over a Latin-tinged accompaniment. Like most of the songs here, the differently inflected lines of the voice, piano, rhythm section, and brass fit together like a perfect jigsaw puzzle. It is refreshing to hear that each player continues to play the song during their solo, rather than heading off in another direction. This gives a nice tight feeling to the song, and a definite feeling of cohesion to the whole album.
Strong Man is another smooth ballad, with maybe a bit of tongue in cheek in yet another superb performance. No matter the tempo, this group is always tight and swinging, following all of the nuances of Ms. Crabbe's wonderful vocal.
Not While I'm Around is a wonderfully moody ballad sung with word-perfect expression; you would swear that Shirley Crabbe is coming up with the words off the top of her head, so natural is her singing. What a great combination of confidence and ability!
So Far Away takes the Carole King classic to a more meditative place. The mildly melancholy vocal delivery is set off by Jim West's subtle tone clusters on piano that seem to move it to another world. A very memorable arrangement.
The album ends with a vivid re-imagining of Summertime. There is a lot happening in the background during this particular summer, much due to the outstanding bass playing of John Burr. Once again Donald Vega adds some great piano to the mix. Oh, and just a fantastic vocal performance that will keep you on the edge of your seat right up to that very last note.
If you like jazz and you like good singing you will love this CD. Few artists manage to put across a song with the confidence, enthusiasm, and sheer verve of Shirley Crabbe. She is an artist who is well worth getting to know.
You can but this great CD at Amazon.com on CD
