Blessed
with rich tone and natural
talent for and a good
understanding
of the importance of phrasing,
Smith comes across as if she has been sing-
ing jazz since the day she
was born.
Smith shines best on torch
numbers. Backed by the phenomenal piano
work of Bernie
Senensky and the
equally tasteful and imaginative
Tony Quarrington, Smith demonstrates the
best of her abilities
on the quieter
songs. Take for instance Quarrington
and T. Laviola’s tribute to
Billie
Holiday “Dear Billie”.
Quarrington himself is an accomplished
player
with 20 albums
to his production |
credit.
He acts as producer here on Notes From Home.
This is music to sit back
with, while sipping on a snifter
of Napoleon
Cognac and imagining
yourself in a
suite at the Grand Hotel.
The tracks
that stand out most
for me are “The
Very Thought of You”, “Dear
Billie”, “Moonlight in Vermont”
and a
striking version of “Skylark” featuring
Quarrington on acoustic guitar.
Doreen Smith has
talent for singing
jazz. It shows in her phrasing
and the apparent ease with which she does it. |
