Customer Reviews

Give Me the Simple Life

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

 

 

I've heard Sara Lazarus live, both in the US and in France, and have followed her career since before she even had one. The moment I first heard her sing, she became an instant classic (and favorite of mine). She conveys such a range of emotion, so much gutsy strength and old-soul tenderness, so honestly and simply and uniquely...it's clear that music is a big part of her DNA. (You get the feeling that Sara Lazarus never actually decided on singing, so much as singing decided on her.)

The color of light she brings to the room, the smile she puts on your face, the desolation and joy she conveys, you know you're dealing with not merely a great artist, but a true human being...probably something to do with how seriously she takes music, and how unseriously she takes herself. Or how her "style" represents who she actually is, rather than who she could conceivably copy. I don't claim to be an expert, but I'd guess she'd be far more comfortable hanging around with Billie, Ella, Lena, and Sarah than she would any of her contemporaries.

(I mean, how great is it to NOT hear yet another breathy, highly affected, ultimately forgettable, "female jazz vocalist"?!)

In person, Sara Lazarus is one of those rare individuals whose musicianship, intelligence and humor are all the more memorable and delightful because they come in such an unassuming, soft-spoken (some would even say shy) package. But unlike so many other performers, Sara lacks the gene for self-promotion... which explains why we've had to wait for DECADES to hear her first CD!

The wait is over, and well worth it. Check out the audio samples online here, get the CD, give it time to sink in... and if the music works in you the way it does on me, then tell all your friends who want to hear some REAL singing about Sara Lazarus... because (at least for now) if we don't tell them, nobody else will!

Dreyfus Records presents a breath of fresh air in the world of Jazz...coming in with her debut album "Sara Lazarus", which is a self title has all the makings of a very big hit on the Jazz Scene...her backup band is Alain Jean-Marie on piano, Gilles Naturel on double bass, Winard Harper on drums, Andrea Michelutti on drums and Bireli Lagrene on guitar...recorded on July and August of 2004 at Studio Ferber in Paris, France with some of the best jazz musicians around today.

Lazarus has the stage presence of a trooper with 12 great tracks of outstanding arrangements...the following in alphabetical order with standards and tunes not featured in the usual jazz circles...gotta love it!

FOOLIN' MYSELF
GET OUT OF TOWN
GIVE ME THE SIMPLE LIFE
HE WAS TOO GOOD TO ME
I'M THRU WITH LOVE
IT'S CRAZY
MORNING
ONCE UPON A SUMMERTIME
SEPTEMBER SONG
SMILE
SOME OF MY BEST FRIENDS ARE THE BLUES
THIS CAN'T BE LOVE

Her approach to ballads and swinging tunes are exceptional...feel this artist is headed for stardom and a great future...her style is a blend of Ella and Billie, with some Diana Krall thrown in for good measure...Sara's vocal range and breath control shines with every track she tackles...look forward to her next release for all the fans of America's original music...JAZZ!

Total Time: 49:00 on 12 Tracks ~ Dreyfus Records 66712 ~ (5/24/2005)

This lady has the style and class of the classic female jazz aingers, from Billie to Ella to Carmen to Sarah V. This CD has some great tunes, great arrangments, a great back up band and a great singer on it. I highly recommend it.

I almost didn't review this, although I've owned it for a little while. On first listen, it struck me at the "3-star level." I can't see the point of doing a 3-star review on a little-known jazz singer.

But on repeated listenings, this album is better than that. Ms. Lazarus sings all standards here. The charts are good, albeit not sensational. Not a formula for a double platinum album, but so what?

The main thing that struck me about this set is Ms. Lazarus' way with words. She bites and devours the lyrics. She has the most precise diction of any singer I know of (and that's one hell of a lot of singers!). For example, on the song "I'm Thru With Love", I never realized that the words were "icy, frigid, air"; I always thought them to be "icy Frigidaire" (which make no sense to the song; the point being, most singers of this genre don't sing the commas. Ms. Lazarus does).

But that's not always a good thing. As a result of such attacking diction, Ms. Lazarus sounds like a trombone throughout. But on ballads such as "He Was Too Good to Me" and "Smile", I think she'd be more effective if she sounded like a viola. Hopefully, she'll display such versatility on her next album.

Absent unusual good fortune, I suspect this album will be out of print in three years or less. Buy it now, and enjoy it while it lasts. RC