Customer Reviews

Hotel Child

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The Flying Neutrinos are a tough band to classify. They're usually lumped in with the Neo-swing movement, which is unfair. If you're looking for traditional big-band swing, you'll only find one song on this album ("Mr. Zoot Suit"). They're jazzy in some songs ("Baby's Making Duck", "Someday You'll Be Sorry"), torchy in others ("Johnny", "Lonely Side"), but overall I'd have to put them in the Jazz or (gasp!) Easy Listening category. Ingrid's voice (with it's well acknowledges Bessie Smith influence) is superb, Todd's trombone is solid, and every track is a winner. My personal favorites are "Cry", "Johnny", "Baby's Making Duck", and "Lonely Side", which all happened to be penned by the band's guitarist Matt Munisteri.

The Neutrinos have two discs now, and I much as Iloved the first one, I think this one is better. I can't give any higher recommendation for fans of good music! If you like the previews for tracks 2-5, you'll like the album (track 1 is a great song, but is the only song of its type on the CD).

And don't even get me started on how much I like Ingrid's cover photo...

Think New Orleans, in a hotel room thick with humidity and flowers, listening to a Swing band playing across the street, fronted by a woman who sounds like Billie Holiday on pheromones, while your lover draws a fingertip up your spine. That's this CD exactly.

A great recording by a great group. The first cut, "Mr. Zoot Suit" is an exciting retro-30's big-band tune with a surprising arrangement that will keep you playing it over and over. The retro style carries through much of the CD.

"Hotel Child" is different in style from their debut "I'd Rather Be in New Orleans," so don't expect more of the same.

if you are lucky enough to see this group live (We saw them at Cibar in NYC, no cover!)make plans to see them. The music is terrific and Ingrid herself is very gracious. Voices like this thow me back to the old days in Saratoga after the races. Buy this CD becuase when you play it your friends will undoubtably ask "who is this?, I love it." A must for your CD collection.

If you'd like a less-frenetic swing trip than the Squirrel Nut Zippers, you'll flip for Ingrid Lucia and the Flying Neutrinos. Ingrid's voice is reminiscent of Katherine Whalen's [kind of "Betty-Boop-does-Billie-Holiday"], but has smokier undertones that lend poignancy to the easy-to-listen-to material here. There isn't a cut on this that I don't like, and the instrumental support is fabulous.

So smooth, it's like velvet! Ingrid Lucia's voice is so smooth and sexy. If you like Swing/Jazz this is a CD to get!

I bought this after reading a review that sounded too good to be true...'a voice somewhere between Ella Fitzgerald and Lady Day'? I must admit I was skeptical but, since the first listen, this c.d. has been in constant rotation on my stereo.

Mr Zoot suit is o.k. After that, its a woman singing the same song over and over again; a slow, no-tempo dirge, accompanied by a guy playing a muted horn. This is called saloon singer style jazz, I call it boring as watching paint dry. No swing here, this is music to commit suicide by. Horrible, avoid.

This is a good album despite the somewhat repetitious nature of the cuts and that soumd - a constant nasal that works for a few songs but not for every single one. In fact, it is the unchanging vocal tone that contributes to the sense of "been there/done that." One big problem is a common one - nothing really comes up to the originality, drive and energy of the first selection, the near perfect "Mr Zoot Suit" made famous in wild dance scene in "Blast from the Past". I kept waiting for a brotherly (or sisterly) companion but that was it.

LIke other reviewers, I too liked "Live From New Orleans" better, mainly for the voice. Ingrid is perfect for these little numbers but let's get serious folks - this is not one with wide range or subtle nuance. This is the Catch-22...the more ballad-like the music, the worst it sounds (I note one exception below). We are not talking about a Jane Monheit, Tierney Sutton or Diana Krall. Ingrid's voice is acidic and yet perfect in several of these and unlike others, I thought the accompaniment was right on the money. It did not have that "studio" flavor (another reason I liked "New Orleans") that often reeks of excessive instrumentality. My favorites were the first ("Mr Zoot Suit"), last ("After Hours") and the middle ("Lonely Side") where the voice changed into something new and wonderful. Mr Grade: B-

How great it would be if all women, when swing was grand, could sing exactly what they wanted to sing and say exactly what was on their mind. What it would sound like is Ingrid Lucier. With such a classic voice and not a hint of beating around the bush lyrics, Ingrid Lucier hits a spot not found by many singers. And while now we have found our voice and our freedom, it seems that Ingrid has began to redefine those times where that voice was muted. This is the way swing should have been.