Barbara Lea
's
Riverside
debut boasts a stark simplicity absent from her subsequent
Prestige
sessions. Stocked with shopworn standards like
"Love Is Here to Stay"
and
"Come Rain or Come Shine,"
A Woman in Love
features minimalist sensibilities that nevertheless lend its music a distinctly modern edge. Paired with
the Billy Taylor Trio
and augmented by guitarist
Jimmy Shirley
and trumpeter
Johnny Windhurst
,
Lea
approaches the material with style and sophistication, quickly proving herself a fiercely intelligent interpreter of the Great American Songbook -- though familiar in concept and form, the album is startlingly fresh. [The
SSJ
label's CD reissue adds a pair of bonus cuts:
"Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home"
"I'll Bet You a Kiss."
] ~ Jason Ankeny