Search - Jacqui Naylor :: Jacqui Naylor

Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Woman

douglas barton | Arlington, Va. | 11/26/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I got goosebumps! No, I won't tell you where...but I will tell you when! I'm listening to track #5 "Tell Me More & More, & Then Some" an R&B/Bluesy tinged song written by Billie Holiday and at 4:35 into the song there's a pause. Not a lengthy pause mind you but a pause perceptible enough to make me turn my head to hear what was going to happen next. It's a rare thing to find an artist who can, in the midst of a song, make me hold my breath at any given moment but it happened in this instance and it made me smile. And, lucky ol'me, I'm still smiling! It's a funny thing about this style of music. There are so many wonderfully talented singers out there and every great now and than I have the pleasure of hearing there debut disc which for me is, as Mel Torme would say, A REAL KICK! So I've been giving this cd a listen for a few days now and being a man of many words (sorry, I can't help it) thought I would share my discovery!Jacqui Naylor's debut is a rather difficult disc to define. Her voice, at times, can be seemingly fragile but I found myself, by the time I got to the last track, actually quite taken with her unusual tonal quality and so I'm just tacking that up to my 'tin ear' perhaps needing more training.It does hold a certain innocence that belies an experience that she shows in threading her way through these numbers. The song selection, for a debut disc is extremely creative and at times even risky and for that she and her bandmates deserve kudos! Let's see.... "Can't Help Singing", a mid-tempo waltze style song that I instantly fell in love with, "What A Little Moonlight Can Do", the Billie Holiday classic is done respectively as is "The Way You Look Tonight" which is brisk and fun plus (hold your breath) "In The Wee Small Hours", which is done so tenderly that I suspect Frank is looking down smiling with an approving nod. And I shouldn't forget "Two Sleepy People", a new song for me but one that closes out the disc on a very sweet and lovely note.There are certainly other's, such as "Tell Me More..." but perhaps at another time. I kept thinking while listening to this wonderful disc that I would love to hear her cover some current songwriters as well i.e. Lauro Nyro or Tom Waits,an amazing tunesmith (is that a word?) whom she could really get her teeth into! Now granted not everythng here was to my liking. I've never been a fan of "Lazybones", but that's my personal opnion and it certainly doesn't reflect upon Ms. Naylor in the least. Plus, I will admit to being a bit of a traditionalist so I believe that, generally speaking, the first song on any cd should not only set the tone but also give the listener some expectations of what to look for. And unfortunately, for me, "Lazybones simply doesn't accomplish that. And "Nocturne" was, for me, slightly slow and didn't mesh well with this singer's voice. Again that's only my opinion! But these flaws are inconsequential when surveying the rest of this wonderful cd. I was impressed with Jacqui's phrasing and the seemingly effortless way she handled each song. Obviously when doing 'standards' listener's tend to make the inevitable comparisons with other singers but it is to Jacqui Naylor's benefit that, for the most part, she holds her own! And again being a debut disc that bodes extremely well for her. Kudos indeed! And, proving that I am democratic in my accolades, band members Bob Johnson, saxophone and Andrew Ostwald, piano deserve special recognition as well. Mmmm...no drums, interesting! Overall, there's so much here to enjoy and I for one am looking forward to what direction Jacqui Naylor's musical talents take her. I do respect her 'freshman' disc very much and feel that she's put a product out that is fresh, direct and most of all honest! And for that we're lucky to have her around. Goosebumps not withstanding that is! Thanks Jacqui!"

Like A Moth To The Flame ...

H. J. Sandford | Yorkshire, England | 11/14/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I had the pleasure to discover Jacqui's talent by chance recently and had the good fortune to acquire both her releases at the same time. First impressions count, you can never recreate those first moments and they form the basis for the continuing relationship with artist and listener. So it was with some anticipation I came to place this record in the player one autumnal morn, waiting for those first notes to cast their magic. The first track plays a pivotal role in entrancing the listener and Ms Naylor shows no mercy launching into "Lazybones" with a voice that hypnotises the listener like a moth to a flame. Its spell is compelling and before you know where you are "What a Little Moonlight Can Do" is enticing you to singe your wings. Play me more & more, and then some ... Stay awhile and indulge in her art, reminisce in an age when jazz was king and truly golden. Her voice is a highly toned instrument of seduction, an alluring and fluid essence that melts into your very soul. Close your eyes and her dusky tones carry you off to a table for two in a darkened jazz club, cigar smoke gently rising and an audience silenced, entranced. Her singing is fluid, instilling the illusion the song is sung just for the listener. This is what good jazz is all about and it makes my spirits soar that artists such as Jacqui are helping to bring about a renaissance in the golden age of jazz. Of course Ben Johnson is guilty of completing the captivation with his passionate and moody tenor saxophone playing. Who could resist those deep husky notes, his playing is what you'd sell your soul to the devil for. I adored Jacqui's rendition of that classic "The Way You Look Tonight" and "Embraceable You".Too good for words, buy it and lose yourself in its spell ..."