Customer Reviews

Deep Song

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Born in NYC, Ranee Lee has lived in Montreal for more than three decades. Ms Lee is a lady of many talents: she plays the drums and tenor sax well enough to have toured professionally; she is an award winning actress; she's a published author of books for children; and, if all of that's not enough, she is a world-class jazz singer.

Ms Lee's contralto voice has a little brass at the edges - her low notes are mellow and round, and her highs are clear and sweet. Her range isn't particularly wide, but she knows her limits and there's seldom any strain in her voice, no matter where she is in her register. She phrases nicely, articulates precisely - and she can SWING effortlessly. To be blunt: there are a whole lot of better known singers who would come in in second place in any competion with Ranee Lee.

"Deep Song" is a set of standards previously recorded, and in some instances, written by Billie Holiday. But it is not an attempt by Ms Lee to immitate Lady Day. Rather.... Well.... Bassist Milt Hinton, who has played with both Ms Holiday and Ms Lee, says it best: "By interjecting her personality and intimate feelings into the 'candlelight' versions of the songs, Ranee has transformed them into 'electromagnetic radiation' renditions." OK, I'm not so sure about that "electromagnetic radiation" stuff, but Mr Hinton's description of Ms Lee's versions as "candlelight" is right on - this is just flat out, lovely music. The set includes songs like "I Wonder Where Our Love Has Gone," "Crazy He Calls Me," and "Ain't Nobody's Business." There's an almost lilting version of "Don't Explain," a song that was almost unbarable when Ms Holiday sang it. And there's "Strange Fruit" - a song with a subject matter that many Americans would prefere to forget - there's no way that a song about racial lynchings can be anything other than painful and challenging - and that's the way it should be.

Ms Lee's band is outstanding: pianist Oliver Jones, (an exceptional player - sort'a Canada's version of Cyrus Chestnut), Mr Hinton on bass, drummer Archie Alleyne, saxman Richard Beaudet and guitarist Richard Ring, (who is also Ms Lee's husband). Whether playing as a unit or soloing, everyone of these guys turns in a top rank performance.

The sonics are excellent: Ms Lee's voice is crystal clear, front and center - and there's plenty of instrumental separation.