The album opens with "Body And Soul," a song written by Edward Heyman, Robert Sour, Frank Exton and John Green. Sean Jones joins the group on flugelhorn for this track, and immediately makes his presence heard and appreciated. "I spend my days in longing," Jennifer sings, speaking for many people. There is a cool and varied vocal approach here, with a good amount of passion behind her delivery. "You know I'm yours for just the taking/I'd gladly surrender myself to you, body and soul." And then it's the other person's move, really, and it is the flugelhorn that answers, beginning a sort of dance, which is wonderful. There is also a nice bass solo, followed by a good, though brief, drum solo, and then everything is in motion. The dance is in progress. Then "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" begins on bass, and very soon Jennifer comes in on vocals. "I can't give you anything but love, baby/That's the only thing I've got plenty of, baby." There is something loose and immediate about her delivery, which strikes us as true. And our reaction is to declare that love is all we want from her. What else is there, anyway? There is a cool vibe to this rendition, created largely by the bass work. But also check out that delicious lead on piano in the middle of the track. And we get a short drum solo that feels an inherent part of the song. I also love the exhuberance to Jennifer's delivery, especially near the end. This is a wonderful rendition.
Jennifer Madsen gives us a delicious take on "Willow Weep For Me," written by Ann Ronell. This track also features some great stuff on bass, and a wonderful lead on piano that grows and breathes and takes us into seriously cool territory. But it is her vocal performance that makes this track stand out. It's a tremendous performance, with some unexpected heights. "Bend your branches down along the ground and cover me." It is like she demands the world bend to her own state of mind, singing "Why don't you weep for me/Why don't you weep for me, baby?" I love this track, and I imagine most others will too. That's followed by a good rendition of Fats Waller's "Honeysuckle Rose" that moves along to a great rhythm, her vocal line becoming a part of that rhythm at times. "When I'm taking sips/From your tasty lips/Seems the honey fairly drips." The band is dancing during the instrumental section, led by a delightful lead on piano. And after Jennifer seductively tells us to "Stir it up," she offers a bit of light scat. Soon, the mood turns a bit more gentle, because of the piano work, until her voice raises the energy again. She gives us a bit more scat just before the end.
"Beyond The Sea" begins softly, thoughtfully, gently on piano. And when Jennifer comes in on vocals, there is an interesting phrasing, a sense of intimacy, and a longing heard in those first lines, "Somewhere beyond the sea/Somewhere waiting for me," Jennifer holding onto the word "Somewhere," which is quite moving. Howard Levy joins on harmonica, delivering some touching work. This is an excellent rendition, featuring a vocal performance that at moments is dramatic. The harmonica lead takes us on an uplifting journey. At the end, Jennifer repeats "And never again" several times, building upon the emotion, before finishing the line, "we'll go sailing." She then gets kind of funky with her rendition of "I (Who Have Nothing)," thanks especially to that bass line and some cool stuff on keys. When she sings, "I love you," we hear both the passion and the need in her voice. The song becomes a wonderful jam with vocals toward the end, featuring some particularly good work on bass. "And all I want is love/And all I want is love from you."
"Gone" begins softly on piano. Jennifer's voice, in some contrast, has strength and passion from the start, though then some early lines are given as almost a whisper. We hear both pain and resilience in her delivery. What an arresting vocal performance. This song is a more recent composition, not yet a standard. Written by Lianne Barnes and Matthew Hales, it was included on LIanne's 2012 album Is Your Love Big Enough. That's followed by "In The Wee Small Hours Of Morning." There is a wonderful moment early on, when after the line "And never ever think of counting sheep," she adds "Two, three, four" and offers a sort of sigh. And the piano seems to be counting off the time at moments. Fitting with the album's theme, Jennifer Madsen really puts her own spin on this song. This rendition features some interesting changes. She then gives a smooth delivery of the first couple of lines of "You Don't Know What Love Is," and yet there is pain ready to break out from under the surface. We can hear it. As she is talking about the other person, she is really talking about what she herself has experienced, and we really get that sense in her rendition. The song is much more about her than about this person she is addressing. This is an excellent rendition. The song was written by Don Raye and Gene DePaul.
The band creates a cool atmosphere at the beginning of "Mean To Me." Then check out the way Jennifer delivers a line like, "It must be so much fun to be mean to me," belting it out. There is frustration, perhaps, but also a need to understand where this person is coming from. What's the deal, is it really fun? she seems to be asking. And if words fail, she can turn to some scat. Then she comes to a decision, singing, "I think it's time for you to learn to treat me right," the line delivered with certainty. Damn right! This track is another of the disc's highlights. Jennifer ends it with the line, "I need someone to watch over me," and then concludes the album with "Someone To Watch Over Me," one of my favorite Gershwin songs. As I've said before, you can never go wrong with Gershwin. And Jennifer Madsen delivers a touching rendition, her voice supported by piano. I think these days we all need someone to watch over us. And a line like "I'm a little lamb who's lost in the wood" (or "woods," as she sings it here) means more to us now than usual. This is a beautiful way to wrap things up.
CD Track List
- Body And Soul
- I Can't Give You Anything But Love
- Willow Weep For Me
- Honeysuckle Rose
- Beyond The Sea
- I (Who Have Nothing)
- Gone
- In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning
- You Don't Know What Love Is
- Mean To Me
- Someone To Watch Over Me
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