Sounding like a combination of
Sarah Vaughan
and
Chaka Khan
seasoned with a dash of
Roberta Flack
,
Gabrielle Goodman
is joined by a motley crew of modern musicians, swoops, scats, and whoops through a playlist of standards and originals, one of them by
Goodman
herself. For the most part, it seems that the arrangements, including those of the standards, are "popularized." That is, they have been designed to be attractive to fans of contemporary popular music. One exception is
the Gershwin Brothers
' "Someone to Watch Over Me," where
opens the verse with just
Kevin Eubanks
' subdued guitar (one of few subdued moments on this disc) behind her. Additional instrumentation, especially
Gary Thomas
' tenor, joins in for a very relaxed chorus. (
Thomas
and his saxophones are very prominent on this disc.) But on most of the cuts,
's voice soars to the heavens. "Over the Rainbow" becomes a bop aria, and on "Travelin' Light," her voice becomes a horn, competing with
' tenor for the dominating position on this tune.
's rendition will not remind anyone of
Judy Garland
's. The
composed "Manila" is a major production. The pulse is established by drummer
Buddy Williams
' back beat.
Barry Miles
' synthesizer weaves in and out with
's voice as she overdubs the background vocals.
Clifford Brown
's "Blues Walk" flirts with the avant-garde, as
sings wordless vocals,
' serendipitous sax wailing with her. This tune, with
as a two-person ensemble, is one of the album's highlights. Once more she relies on the laid-back guitar of
Eubanks
in her thoughtful, emotional offering of "Don't Explain," another of the album's strong performances. Many will have to give this album more than a single play before fully appreciating it, but they will assuredly be drawn to
's wide-ranging, unusual but haunting presentation of the music.
Travelin' Light
will be particularly appreciated by those who prize a singer willing to take some major risks. [Fortunately, the lyrics are reprinted in the liner notes.] ~ Dave Nathan