For his second album, Seattle-based
Ben Black
has chosen to offer a play list running from familiar songs from the
musical theater
through Irish medleys to obscure
Armenian folk
music. Present are all the trappings for a melancholy mood that seems to be the minor theme for this session. There's the floating flute of
Brenda Kay Neth
on
"Chinar Es"
and her penny whistle on the Irish medley of
"My Wild Irish Rose"
and
"Danny Boy,"
with the gently rolling cymbals throughout by
John Bishop
all resting on the expressive pianism of
Marc Seales
or
Gary Fukushima
. Using all of this support, and more, to the fullest,
Black
addresses the tunes with his high-pitched, pure voice in a hushed, gentle, subtle, almost poetic manner. On some tracks, you get more than one
as he dubs himself in as a background singer. Many of the tracks can best be described as gorgeous and winsome, such as a reverent rendering of
"Somewhere."
"Danny Boy"
is virtually guaranteed to bring tears to the eyes of anyone from or with ties to the Emerald Isle. Another real heart-tugger is
"Si Tu No Estas,"
done with just the backing of the acoustic guitar of
Marco de Carvalho
. Perhaps not very substantial, but certainly very pretty. This album recalls tea time at Boston Park Plaza Hotel Swan's Court with
's beguiling non-threatening vocals wafting above the tinkling of the silver service and nibbling of cucumber sandwiches. All very civilized indeed. ~ Dave Nathan