Hannah Gill: "I Like The Sunrise" (2026) CD Review

From the first time I heard Hannah Gill's voice, I was a fan. And that was before I heard her Halloween-themed albums. Once I got my hands on Spooky Jazz Vol. 2 and last year's Spooky Jazz Vol. 3 (I still need to get a physical copy of the first volume), I loved her even more. Who wouldn't? If you've heard those albums, you're crazy about her too. Now on her new album, I Like The Sunrise, she celebrates the music of Duke Ellington. Rather than doing big band renditions of his material, as is often done, she chooses a more intimate approach. Joining her on this release are Luis Salcedo on guitar, Phil Ambuel on bass, Adam Ray on drums, and Ricky Alexander on saxophone. The album was produced by Scott Asen. It was recorded and mixed by Alex Conroy.

Hannah Gill opens the album with "So Far, So Good," the only track not written or co-written by Duke Ellington. It was written by Jack Lawrence, Jimmy Mundy and Eddie White. Duke Ellington recorded it in 1940, with Ivie Anderson on vocals. Hannah Gill's rendition features a delicious, catchy bass line and a wonderful lead on guitar. And Ricky Alexander delivers a warm lead on saxophone. All of that is fantastic, but the main draw is Hannah Gill's vocal performance. So confident, so timeless, so welcoming, so damn good. "Take a peek at the future/What do you see?" Well, with this music playing, the future I see looks excellent. Then Hannah takes us into blues territory with a stellar rendition of "I Ain't Got Nothin' But The Blues." This one begins with some nice work on guitar, the playing being kind of quiet, drawing us closer. When Hannah comes in, we know right where we stand, and that is with her. We can all relate to lines like "Ain't got no winnings to lose/Ain't got a dream that is working/I ain't got nothing but the blues." Yet there is a great deal of charm even in those lines, making us feel better about our own blues. After Hannah sings "When trumpets flare," Ricky Alexander comes in. Not a trumpet, but a saxophone works just as well. This track also contains an interesting, totally cool lead on guitar. The music then swells as Ricky begins his lead in the second half. This song was written by Duke Ellington and Don George.

A delightful bass line sets "Love You Madly" in motion. Hannah's voice should lift even the most dour of spirits. There is something so pleasant about the vibe of this track, so catchy. And don't we all need to hear someone tell us, "I love you, love you madly"? And shouldn't you be feeling that way about someone, telling someone? There is a gentle swing to the music here, and this track contains solid leads on both saxophone and guitar. "Love you madly, right or wrong/Sounds like a lyric of a song." That's followed by "I'm Just A Lucky So-And-So," Hannah delivering a sexy, gorgeous and warm vocal performance, moving with a slow kind of strut. "The birds in every tree/Are so neighborly/They sing wherever I go." Oh, I have no doubt about that. There is some kind of magic surrounding her, this performance makes that clear. Even when things are in a more relaxed, bluesy groove. Ricky Alexander gets a chance to stretch out a bit on his sax lead, which is wonderful, allowing things to build beautifully. This track is one of my personal favorites. "If you should ask me the amount/In my bank account/I'd have to confess that I'm slippin'/But that don't worry me." When I'm listening to this music, the same situation ceases to worry me too.

"I Didn't Know About You" begins with some pretty work on guitar. Soon, Hannah comes in, delivering an especially beautiful vocal performance, this track having a deliciously intimate quality. "Just taking my fun where it could be found/And what else could I do?" Ah yes, what else can any of us do? What striking is that her performance has great beauty, but also feels completely natural, like she's telling us a personal story. Luis Salcedo gets time to demonstrate his talent on guitar. And at the beginning of "I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)," Hannah's voice is again supported by guitar. Here she opens up. There is a vulnerable quality heard in her voice, a longing. "When he's gone, I'm cloudy with showers/An emotion like the ocean, it's either sink or swim/When a woman loves a man as I love him." I believe every syllable. Everything has that ring of truth. And then the bass and drums come in, as if to gently cradle her.

Hannah Gill is so adept at expressing a timeless passion, as she does on "Azalea." I love the way she delivers a line like "I've yet to get that same strange feeling," the nuances that make it all so real, so wonderful. The guitar work in the middle of this track seems to contain a brief nod to the beginning of "Someone To Watch Over Me." It's a wonderful guitar lead, and this is a beautiful rendition. Things then gently swing again with "Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me." There is a joy to this track, particularly to her vocal performance, and a playful quality that I adore. "True, I've been seen with someone new/But does that mean that I'm untrue." She is in control in this rendition. And I don't think the other man has any choice but to believe her. Ricky Alexander's saxophone backs her up, and you can't argue with a saxophone. But it is that guitar lead that I especially love. And when the guitar and saxophone work together, everything is right with the world.

"I Like The Sunrise," the album's title track, begins like a storm approaching, thunder brought on by the percussion, a captivating opening. Then light suddenly streaks in, and Hannah sings the song's first lines, "I like the sunrise/Because it brings a new day." Hers is a gentle performance, with an easygoing sense. From that interesting storm at the beginning, we seem to awaken into a dream. Yet there are remnants of that storm playing at the edges occasionally. This is such an interesting rendition, another of the disc's highlights. It's followed by "Take Love Easy." Here Hannah sings, "Never let your feelings show," yet we feel that every word, every syllable is full of feeling, full of emotion, full of truth. I love that, and I love her approach. This track features some wonderful bass work, including a lead halfway through. Hannah Gill wraps up the album with "Azure," which begins with guitar and then some whistling, which takes us to another time, another place, and does so with ease. "Drifting, dreaming," Hannah sings. And that's just how the song feels. We are happy to drift with her, and with the guitar that supports her. Here she delivers another remarkable vocal performance. There is more whistling at the end, leading us off into the distance.

CD Track List

1. So Far, So Good
2. I Ain't Got Nothin' But The Blues
3. Love You Madly
4. I'm Just A Lucky So-And-So
5. I Didn't Know About You
6. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
7. Azalea
8. Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me
9. I Like The Sunrise
10. Take Love Easy
11. Azure

I Like The Sunrise is scheduled to be released on June 19, 2026 on Turtle Bay Records.