Customer Reviews

Desire

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Five MARVELOUS Stars!! A STELLAR Grammy-nominated musical look at desire and temptation. For a decade and an half, jazz diva Tierney Sutton's highly creative band has been one of jazz' longer-running small ensembles. Some of her CDs are thematic, such as the Bill Evans tribute Blue in Green and the sideways glance of On the Other Side of love ("Get Happy" as a dirge was both daring and effective). This highly enjoyable CD can also be looked at from the 'spiritual thematic point of view' decrying the seductive dangers of fame and fortune or even as homage' from one of today's certified young jazz divas to past singing stars like Peggy Lee (Fever), Carmen McRae (Skylark) and Julie London (Cry Me a River). Lady Day, Abbey, June, Betty, and Ella also come to mind. As usual, Ms Sutton is a cohesive member of her talented, somewhat instrumentally unusual quintet, as in the title of another CD called I'm with the Band. Versatile pianist Christian Jacob, drummer Ray Brinker (who is on fire) and 2 inventive bassists: Kevin Axt & Trey Henry who work well together on the bottom, round out the five spots. These 5 take some familiar standards into new fiery frameworks and multi-rhythmic setups, often shifting gears in flight out of serene starts to dizzying heights and back again (e.g. the smoldering "Love Me or Leave Me").

The 'best of the best' begins with a beautiful 7 minute exposition of "It's Only A Paper Moon" which starts with a spiritual poem over an urgent Ray Brinker beat. That effectively contrasts with Tierney's out of tempo rhapsodic vocalizing which then leads to a burning in-tempo Christian Jacob solo with Brinker pouring on the heat with his brushes. A sensational "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" again has the urgent beat and voice, as the song takes on a celestial meaning for the word "Daddy" as Brinker's accents and rimshots burn behind Tierney's and Jacob's sizzling highly-stylized solos. The two bassists also effectively use differing pizzicato roles on the bottom and in the arrangements. "Long Daddy Green" switches the "Daddy" word and performance to something more seductive. "Fever" escapes Julie London's spell as Tierney puts her stamp on it, bending, twisting, and chopping the notes. "It's All Right With Me" is a smoky experience. Even the insistent multi-tracked "Whatever Lola Wants" bends to Tierney's musical will, as does "Skylark". Tierney Sutton & Band prove it's all about the emphasis & crank up another BIG Winner. DON'T trust the song samples, they don't give a hint of the exhilarating flights that await beyond the intros. Stunning performances!! My Highest Recommendation. Five ENJOYABLE Stars. (This review is based on an iTunes Plus download.)

Any album by the Tierney Sutton Band can be relied upon to be worthwhile, but the band has outdid itself with this amazing album. This work can be open to multiple interpretations, as it looks both at humanity's best and basest desires. The opening song, "It's Only a Paper Moon", when coupled with a spiritual reading from the Bahai faith and a slight change in lyrics, becomes almost meditative. The closing song, "Skylark", soars. In between, "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" loses any of the innocence that the original may have possessed. Tierney puts her own mark on the often interpreted songs like "It's All Right with Me", "Fever", and "Cry Me a River". The lesser known "Long Daddy Green" becomes a fascinating commentary on fortune and fate.

Of course, the Tierney Sutton Band has been working together about 15 years, and it shows - they are one of the tightest vocalist-lead groups around. Their contributions certainly add to the reinterpretations of these songs. Compare Christian Jacob's frenetic accompaniment in "Whatever Lola Wants" to the soaring chords of "Skylark".

This is a CD that will hold up to many listenings and it should be a contender for Jazz Vocalist of the Year.

If you're a Tierney Sutton fan, this album is not to be missed (I have everything she and her band have released thus far). Be prepared to listen, really listen, to this one, though. This is not "background music." Rather, this is subtle, elegant, creative and, at times, powerfully moving vocal jazz that only gets better with repeated listenings.

"Desire" comes across as a powerful, even spiritual, musical statement about the nature of human desire, both good and bad, which is just what Tierney and the band had in mind, according to the liner notes. Not one arrangement here is predictable or pedestrian, and the support from pianist Christian Jacob and the rest of the band is, as always, superb. What these musicians do with these tunes, some of them "shop-worn standards," is both remarkable and beautiful. Tierney has a way of conveying irony and other subtle shadings of meaning in her singing of the lyrics that is not often heard. In my opinion, Tierney is the best living female jazz singer. If you're new to her talents, check out the CD "Blue in Green" too. It's my personal favorite among many fine albums.

I find myself coming back to listen over and over.

The Buddha says that desire is the root of all suffering. Tierney and group come roaring back with their latest "Desire". An album of thoughtful understated meditations on the materialist extremes and Spiritual bankruptcy of the last few years of the stock markets, people buying houses, cars and junk they could never afford, excessive optimism, the Financial Community and their free market idealogs who thru their greed and stupidity destroyed the Wealth of Nations.

Excess Desire. "Long Daddy Green" and "Paper Moon" are cases in point, without sounding preachy she gets her point subtlely across. "Fever", "Whatever Lola Wants" and "My Heart belongs to Daddy" are less about the usual sexual topic than desire. Desire for everything!

There are a few places that disturb the flow, a beat like a migrane headache coming on, but these are done on purpose to emphasize the overall theme. And this is a theme album.

For my money Tierney Sutton and group are the leading edge of jazz vocal. Technically she's arguable the best in the business. Her only potential problem, witness her last album "I'm with the Band", is a tendency to overreach technically, do wierd or difficult things for effect and shortchange the emotional, especially that emotional connection with her audience. "Desire" is a big improvement, emotional without excess technical display.

The overall mood is wistful, the music is tuneful. The prodings of conscience. The dark album ends on the hopeful note of "Skylark".

The recording quality and image are excellent.

Comparing Tierney Sutton to modern "pop" female singers is like comparing Italian leather goods to Chinese mass-produced junk. Essentially, there is no comparison. I have all of Sutton's albums and can truthfully swear that each one deserves a ten instead of a five. Tierney Sutton presides on her jazz throne unrivaled by mere mortals.

The listener quickly realizes the care and musicality - the artistry - behind these selections: the unique arrangements, the original twists, incredible band and the sultry, pitch-perfect vocals. Selecting a "favorite" is impossible since each recording is superior. My appreciation only grows with each successive hearing.

Yeah, I said picking faves was difficult but here goes: Long Daddy Green, Then I'll be Tire of You (!!!), Cry me a River (!), Love me or Leave me (!!!). Oh crap, every single song is polished, nuanced and wonderful. Each song also contains a musicality all its own, the incessant throb in IT'S ALL RIGHT WITH ME, the voluptuous lushness of HEART'S DESIRE, The underlying patter of CRY ME A RIVER, the many piano-vocal duets (Stunning!). My Grade - A+

There are a lot of female torch singers these days singing the old standards, but Tierney Sutton's Desire is a definite stand out. The arrangements are really fine and Sutton's voice is certainly up to the task. But it is her style that really makes Desire a special treat, particularly the eroticism she brings to songs such as My Heart Belongs to Daddy, and most especially Fever. In fact, Sutton's rendition of Fever is the hottest--and best--I have ever heard.

Definitely worth the price of admission.

Tierney Sutton and her amazing band are a rarity, actual recording artists. Apparently, everyone who stumbles into a studio is called an "artist", but Sutton, Brinker, Jacob, Henry and Axt are true artists. They push boundries and create something original, challenging, beautiful and real. Tierney Sutton & Company continue to add to a signficant body of work. Maybe they're ahead of the curve, most great artists are. Maybe it will take the public time to catch up, that's not uncommon for great artists either. And make no mistake, these are serious artists performing and creating at a very high and enduring level. Most music is disposable, The Tierney Sutton Band catalogue will have a very long shelf life. "Desire" is the latest addition to a legacy of recording artistry that very few have rivaled... And all hyperbole aside, its just great to listen to.

The Tierney Sutton Band continues to reawaken my interest of songs from the past and under the heading of smooth jazz at it's most refined level. This album reflects for me what they are able to do like no other as a group, which is putting fresh air and incomparable balance to songs like "Paper Moon" or "Fever" and give rebirth to them. This collection of songs are Ballads from my recollection, and for me seem very reminiscent of songs that come from an era of the late 60's and early 70's, which reflect the ideals of individualism and non-materialistic values. This was a time when I was most influenced by people like Simon and Garfunkel, and Joni Mitchell. Furthermore, I am a consumer with classical and early music training, and late to real appreciation of jazz . Their body of work helps to bring together a sound I am most enthusiastic for in the appreciation of all well crafted music. I hear how they share standards that embody all great music of the past. The CD, "Desire" puts out a message of historic ideals to listeners in search of change long overdo in the year 20009. Gayle Allard

Tierney Sutton is the closest thing amongst jazz vocalists we have to John Coltrane. By that, I mean that she and her band's music, consisting of unique interpretations of standards, has evolved over the years to the spiritual. This was apparent in the Band's last release, the wonderful "On the Other Side." Now it is overt. This c.d. is to the Tierney Sutton Band like "A Love Supreme" was to Coltrane.

The c.d. begins with a quote from the Hidden Words of Baha'ullah. You may ask: What on earth does that have to do with standards from the '30's? And the Tierney Sutton Band answers the question quickly: If love of the supreme being is the one true love, then everything else is a paper moon, hanging over a cardboard sea....

And so it goes. Whereas "On the Other Side" was about the pursuit of happiness, this c.d. is about desire, or the pursuit of the pursuit of happiness. As such, some of what's here is in shifting, ragged tempos followed by breaks into a 4/4 swing (as in "It's All Right With Me," "Love Me or Leave Me" and "Cry Me A River.") Or, you may hear sinewy, insinuating bass obligatos from Trey Henry and Kevin Axt, setting forth a suffocatingly seductive vibe (e.g., "Whatever Lola Wants" and "Fever"). Or, you may hear ballads done sort of straight, but with an indelible tinge of regret over missed opportunity (e.g., "Long Daddy Green" or "Heart's Desire," or "Then I'll Be Tired of You.") I.e., in varying musical modes, you have desire presented as "tension and release."

Or you may hear the most brilliant cover ever of "Skylark," beginning with another recital from sacred Baha'I text, followed by Christian Jacob's ethereal, other-worldly piano comping. A poem to the heavens. Whereas the set begins with a frantic Ray Brinker in 7/8 over a timeless rest of the band on "Paper Moon," it ends thusly. The standards have broken free of their usual restrictions and have ascended to heaven. And that is what desire can do.

This c.d. is both heady and brilliant. I think it's the Tierney Sutton Band's best, and that's saying a lot. What a wonderful, thought-provoking album this is! RC

This is not an unbiased review since I am a great fan of this spectacular performer. This is clearly the best of what I have heard from her EXCEPT for a live perfomramce I was privileged to attend at The Westport Country Playhouse. Her musical accompaniment is truly remarkable.