Betty Bryant opens the album with a wonderful cover of "You Are Not My First Love," a song written by Bart Howard and John Peter Windsor. This rendition opens with some good work by Kevin Winard on drums before Betty comes in on piano. This track also contains some very cool stuff by Richard Simon on bass at the beginning (and throughout). And then Betty tells us, "Hey now, you are not my first love/I've known other charms/But I've just been rehearsing/In those other arms." And you can hear in her delivery her cheer, her joy, her sense of fun. Check out, for example, the way she sings, of her heart, "But there aren't many scratches/You hardly see the patches." And toward the end, there is a delightful laugh as she delivers the song's first line again. Robert Kyle offers a really nice and warm lead on saxophone, followed by Betty's lead on piano, delivered with a gentle, loving touch. This track also features good solos on bass and drums. That's followed by a cover of "I Can't See For Lookin'," which was written by Nadine Robinson and Arnold "Dok" Stanford, and recorded by The Nat King Cole Trio. There is a vibe to Betty's rendition that is both warm and cool, established in the song's opening moments. I love how you can hear Betty's smile in her vocal approach. This is a song I've seen her perform in concert, and it's always a treat. "Won't some fellah take a chance on me?" she asks, and there is a flirtatious wink in her delivery. We've all heard it said that music can keep someone young, at least to a certain extent, and Betty Bryant is the best evidence for the truth of that statement. Just wait until you see her in concert. Three decades will disappear the moment she starts to sing. Anyway, there is an easygoing feel to her lead on piano here, strutting in, knowing just what it's about, and not needing to present anymore than that.
"He May Be Your Man" is another song I've seen her do in concert, and it's always a highlight of her set. What's more, it is an original number. "Hey now, he may be your man/Aw, but he comes to see me sometimes/I said he may be your man/But he comes to see me sometimes/He's been coming so often/I'm beginning to think he's mine," she sings at the beginning. This is such a cool number, and here Betty Bryant shows her great sense of humor too, as when she sings, "and he's somebody else's too," or when she reveals, "He's got a face like a fish, shaped like a frog/But when he starts to loving me, I holler, 'Ooh, hot dog.'" That humor is certainly part of her tremendous appeal. You can hear it in her vocal delivery, and also in her playing. "I said, if you love your man, you'd better keep him by your side/'Cause if he flags my train, I'm sure gonna let him ride." I remember the first time I saw her play this song, being totally delighted by those lines, and then being delightfully shocked by the next line, "You're so beautiful, aw, but you gotta die some day." This is a song that Betty Bryant earlier included on her Mostly Me album, that version featuring just vocals and piano. This new version features a wonderful lead by Robert Kyle.
"I Haven't Got Anything Better To Do" is the first track to feature the strings, the only track to feature the guitar, giving this one a different sound, a different vibe. As it begins, there is a soft and contemplative beauty to it. Then the guitar takes on a rhythm and leads into the main body of the song. Betty's delivery has a different tone here, though there is still humor, as in the lines, "I think about him on alternate Thursdays/When I haven't got anything better to do." There is a slight pause after "I think about him," which gives the rest of the line more of a punch because it's not how we expect the line to conclude, particularly as the song has this beautiful, mellow feel. It was written by Lee Pockriss and Paul Vance. There is something of a dreamlike atmosphere to this track, created in part by the work on strings and that wonderful lead by Kleber Jorge on guitar. Robert Kyle's work has a great soulful feel. Hussain Jiffry plays bass on this track, delivering some excellent touches. Hussain Jiffry also plays bass on "Time Was," and Aaron Serfaty plays drums. Robert Kyle plays flute on this one. The song was written by Miguel Prado, Gabriel Luna and Bob Russell. Betty Bryant delivers a rendition with some pep, and that is part of what makes her version so much better than others I've heard. She looks back with fondness, but her delivery makes those times feel present. "Time was when we wrote love letters in the sand/Lingered over our coffee and dreamed all our time away." She can make the present just as sweet, and does so here. Plus, there is something about the lead on bass that makes us feel good.
"Mama Sue" is an original number, and a fun one, which the delicious rhythm lets us know right away. And check out Betty's delivery. She has a loose, cool approach, sort of like spoken word. "I have to tell you exacly where/'Cause if you look at a map, it ain't really there." And there is a laugh in her delivery there. This is fantastic. She wrote this one with Robert Kyle, whose work adds another cool element. And the drumming gives this one a New Orleans flavor. This track is popping, grooving. "Did I mention the jam session Saturday night/Neighbors don't mind, 'cause the music's all right/Sometimes it lasts 'til the first morning sun/It ain't BB King, but it gets the job done." Oh yes! This is so good. It's followed by "Thanks For You," which was written by Bernie Hanighen and Marvin Wright. "I offer my grateful heart now," she sings, and her delivery is honest and true. And, again, we hear the joy in her voice as she sings lines like "My feet have found the ground/And yet my heart has wings." It is like she is having and expressing these thoughts for the first time, singing these words for the first time. That is one way she makes these songs so fresh. This is the other track to feature Aaron Serfaty on drums.
Tony Guerrero joins the group on trumpet for "Awrite Then," an original piece, not written by Betty Bryant, but by Robert Kyle. It is another joyous number, with a great sense of cool also, particularly in its bass line. And, as you might guess, Robert Kyle delivers some totally delicious stuff on saxophone. It is his work that especially stands out here, on the album's only instrumental track. This relaxed, bluesy number also contains wonderful leads on piano and bass, as well as a drum solo toward the end, which of course I appreciate. The album then concludes with "Winter Warm," a pretty song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Luanne Homzy and Niall Taro return on strings, their work setting the tone, creating the atmosphere. "But your kisses make December seem just like May." Ah, yes. May we all know just what she's talking about here. "Tonight was made for lovers to embrace." Isn't that what life is about? There is a yearning here, and Robert Kyle's work on flute adds a light, magical touch, making us feel that life can be a fairy tale.
CD Track List
- You Are Not My First Love
- I Can't See For Lookin'
- He May Be Your Man
- I Haven't Got Anything Better To Do
- Time Was
- Mama Sue
- Thanks For You
- Awrite Then
- Winter Warm
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