Customer Reviews

First Instrument

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Rachelle Ferrell is a standout in a field of mediocre jazz artists. Not since Ella Fitzgerald has there been a vocalist of this caliber. Her voice is so versatile! Old standards here are presented in a fresh and renewed way. Highlights include "Inchworm" and "Bye Bye Blackbird." If you only buy one jazz album in your lifetime, make "First Instrument" that album!!

This album has got to be my favorite yet of any artist as a whole. I relished upon the seemingly private and personal "With Every Breath I Take" and "Extensions," both of which were hopelessly romantic ballads, undeniably inspired performances. It was impossible to see how she breathed new life into such standards as "Bye Bye Blackbird," "My Funny Valentine," and even "You Send Me" (!). Ms. Ferrell here clearly wants the listener to gain a sense of her voice: limitless (it would seem) and flexible. The very necessary-only accompaniment seems to suit her voice more than the big band type orchestration that some vocalists prefer. Believe me, she can "comp" on the high and low ends of her well-used, multiple ocave range. (Can you say "Grand piano"?)

Only one thing: I found it hard to play the whole CD through, nonstop. I was too busy falling in love with the songs and having to play them over and over again.

"What is this Thing Called Love" was addictively vibrant, packed with unexpected vocal jumps and rolls. "Autumn Leaves" was a soulful scat revival of the WELL-covered number. "Prayer Dance" held a special, evocative flavor combined with her haunting soprano that combined to soothe.

Buy it if you want a taste of the future of not only quality and vibrant jazz, but supreme vocals, both of which are rare and highly mistaken these days...

PS: Ms. Ferrell, I think I am in love. With your voice, that is.

From beginning to end First Instrument pulled me into Rachelle's world and held me hostage for hours (I replayed the entire CD at least 6 or 7 times consecutively). Her range is unbelieveable. Her voice is clear and exciting from the top of the scales to the bottom. She is Sarah, Billie and Ella all rolled into one. They are surely smiling down on her as she has chosen to include this Afrikan American classical music form in her repertoire. I believe that this classical music form is where her vocal talent/gift is best heard. If you're wondering what to give as a gift for anyone's upcoming birthday, stop wondering. First Instrument is the one.

I love good music -- especially jazz vocals. I just bought this album, and I am about to die. It is one of the best -- if not the best jazz vocal album I own (and I own tons of music). Her range is extreme (almost impossible), from a deep, almost baritony sound to the highest soprano chirp. Rachelle can scat, sing ballad, create emotion; she is the best. BUY IT!!!!!

P.S. I thought I would never find anyone to match the greatness of the vocalists of the past (Sarah, Nancy, Ella);Rachelle is that person....

This, Rachelle's first recorded album, depicts her as vocally triumphant. She is a talent of unparalleled skill. That said, her most recent album INDIVIDUALITY (CAN I BE ME?) evokes a more mature air and, if possible, shows her at an even higher vocal pinnacle.

I consider First Instrument to be one of my all time favorite CD's by a Jazz vocalist (right up there with Billie and Sarah!), even though many would not consider Farrell to be a "Jazz" vocalist per se. (I have heard her perform with her R&B band and was equally impressed. It doesn't really matter what format she sings in, Farrell is such a phenomenally talented singer that, like a true diva, she transcends categorization.) But this CD is particularly exceptional, far more satisfying than her R&B CDs, which fail to capture the sheer vitality of her live performances as it is captured here. She definitely should have gotten a Grammy for this (and probably would have if it had been released in a proper and timely fashion). Each and every tune is a marvel. The CD remains thoroughly fresh and exciting even after being played almost daily for over 7 years! It really puzzles me that it hasn't gotten more play, perhaps because Farrell is marketed more as an R&B singer. I treasure it and love to share it with as many people as I can. I can't imagine that anyone would be disappointed. On the contrary, you will be delighted for years and years to come, and I guarantee you too will become one of Farrell's biggest fans! Buy it and spread the gospel because Farrell definitely deserves the props for this one!

This is her first CD, however it wasn't the first I purchased. I first heard Rachelle's "With Open Arms" from her Self titled CD, and fell in LOVE with her voice. I now own all 3 of her cd,s and am eagerly awaiting the release of her next and am hoping to catch her hive somewhete in the NYC area soon. THIS is a MUST BUY CD!!! her highs are through the celing and crystal clear. There aren't many voices like her's. This is a CD to sit back, relak and let the music wash over you.

I can just play this CD over and over again. Long lost are songs that are just BEAUTIFUL. There is no other word to describe the lyrics, the sound, the feeling. I feel silly that I just heard of Ms. Ferrell recently and hate that I have not has such beautiful music in my ears since '90 when this was released.

Though she cannot be considered a straight-out jazz vocalist, Rachelle Ferrell has a voice that is a technical marvel. She can approximate the highs of the late great Minnie Ripperton and then approach the depths of the late great Sarah Vaughan. On record and especially in concert, Ferrell constantly teases, jousts and whiplashes the audience in the manner of Patti LaBelle, often careering from operatic stateliness to pure pop confection with frequent dips into fire-engine pop-gospel and R&B. She can also be downright silly. Still, hers is a distinctive vocal persona that is entirely original.

That said, my only problem (and it's a big one) is that in her quest to wow the listener with her vocal range, Rachelle Ferrell often leaves the melodies of her songs behind. Like her great idol Sarah Vaughan (her biggest and most obvious influence), Ferrell seems most interested in reconfiguring and stretching songs well beyond the original intent. But the difference is that you feel Ferrell's every exertion--she's in a big hurry to prove herself. Unlike Vaughan or, say, Ella Fitzgerald, whose effortless scat singing seemed to grow organically out of a deeply felt connection between melody and lyric interpretation. Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald never wore their "jazz" credentials on their sleeves because jazz was second-nature to them, something divinely innate. And, like all the greatest singers (Billy Holliday, the young Aretha, the young Streisand), they sang what they lived.

On "First Instrument," Ferrell is superbly backed by the likes of bassist Stanley Clarke, saxophonist Wayne Shorter and other jazz-fusion luminaries who give her lots of room to strut her stuff. She does some nominal jazz riffing on bluesy versions of the classics "You Send Me" and "You Don't Know What Love Is." But some songs ("Inchworm") and even some reworked standards ("Autumn Leaves," "Bye, Bye Blackbird") venture too far into experimental jazz-fusion territory--a genre that does not really serve her well.

Despite all the huffing and puffing, "With Every Breath I Take" is in fact the only song here that truly speaks to the level of Ferrell's superb instrument: it's a hauntingly beautiful torch song that allows her to slow down, draw in and caress the listener, thoroughly showing off the stunning colors--and sheer power--of her voice without ever sacrificing emotional intensity (this song is also refreshingly free of the distracting vocal runs that sometimes get in her way). I love a good twist of vocal showmanship as much as anyone else, but I also believe that in music, (like sex and a lot of other great things in life), it's not always what you put out there, but what you withhold that is the most seductive. Unfortunately, the less-is-more concept is something that too often escapes the artist on "First Instrument."

In my years of being a passionate music lover, NEVER, have I experienced a TALENT as AMAZING as Rachelle Ferrell. She is an INCREDIBLE GIFT of VOCAL EXECUTION and DEPTH. "First Instrument" captures the very essence of her CREATIVITY and ARTISTIC VISION. Selections to look forward to: #4-"Prayer Dance" (A RICH, ANGELIC and BREATH-TAKING ballad, which showcases the BEAUTY and EFFORTLESSLY-POWERFUL RANGE of Ferrell's DYNAMIC GIFT), #3-"Bye Bye Blackbird" (A SMOKIN', SCAT JAMMING, INSTRUMENTAL JOURNEY of PASSION and PRECISION), #1-"You Send Me" (A REFRESHING dedication of LOVE and ADMIRATION) and #6-"With Every Breath I Take" (A ROMANTIC and ENCHANTING experience that's as INTRIGUING as Roberta Flack's: "The First Time I Saw Your Face"). "First Instrument" is a STUNNING WORK OF ART, and deserves much MORE RECOGNITION than it has received. All of Rachelle's album's are ***STELLAR*** and should be given the proper PRAISE. I am GRATEFUL to be apart of the FERRELL FAMILY!!!! B-R-A-V-O!!!