Customer Reviews

Jacqui Naylor

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have had this CD for more than a year now, and by now I've heard it easily more than a hundred times. Jacqui has a wonderfully puzzling voice. It is cristaline and beautiful, and also somewhat hard to figure out, as if having different modes. This I really mean in a positive way. As it is well known, she sometimes sounds like Billy Holiday (e.g. in parts of Lazybones, The way you look tonight, a bit in Two sleepy people), but sometimes she has an absolutely unique sound (e.g. Nocturne, May I come in, I cover the waterfront, In the wee small hours), and *then* in particular I experience an endless fascination when listening to her. Her voice sounds almost understanding, it's a voice to fall in love with, a voice that caresses you generously, that cries softly but deeply about longing and loneliness, that can be playful, and also wise, a voice that almost listens to you and comforts you while sharing with you its own heart out so beautifully, puzzling and also oh so irresistible... If I had to pick favorites songs on this CD, they would probably be May I come in, In the wee small hours, I cover the waterfront, Nocturne, and Something cool, but all songs in this CD make it a pleasurable journey to listen to, from start to end. This actually has become one of my favorite female vocal CD's, and needless to say, Jacqui is one of my favorite female singers, the others being Rebecca Pidgeon, and Diana Krall (well and Arleen Auger). I highly highly recommend this CD, in particular for anyone that is very fond of female vocals.

Great singers know that singing loudly is not necessarily singing with emotion and that stretching and compressing the tempo does not necessarily make a great jazz singer. Great singing rises naturally out of a song, causing you to listen to it because you want to, not because the singer shouts for you to do so.

Jacqui Naylor is a great singer. She sings within a song, poking at it's edges enough to create tension, her voice fondling each word before passing on to the next one, letting the lyric work its magic. And what magic is worked here. She can be sexy (something cool), sad (in the wee small hours), and romantic (embraceable you). And yes she can swing (the way you look tonight). Her saxophone player Bob Johnson has a full Ben Webster like sound that contrasts perfectly with her voice by flirting with it at just the right moment. Singer and tenor saxophone player: no, she's not Billie Holiday (no one could be) but, oh, once in a while the phrasing, the inflection is startling in how it sounds LIKE Billie. The song that combines all the elements is "tell me more & more, & then some." At times Jacqui drops from her high voice to low to great effect, giving it a blues flavor. Her singing does not demand you to listen to it: it causes you to. Her singing washes over you. All you can do is surrender to it and enjoy it.

Jacqui has an absolutely spellbinding voice. I had the pleasure of seeing her at the San Jose Jazz Fest and found myself totally lost in her music. Her arrangement of "So Far Away" far surpasses the original and her soulful presentation of "Me and Mr. Jones" causes shivers. See her in concert the next time. And dig her version of Pink Floyd's "money". It's true to the original - even to the lyrics.

Now about this CD. Beauttifully captures the sensual style of her voice. I can't find one weak spot. Her version of "The Way You Look Tonight" is better than Diana Krall's. "Lazybones" is another stylish offering Another favorite of mine is "Embraceable You'.

Jacqui's style is often characterized as jazz, but really is a cross between cabaret and jazz, with some blues put in. Fans of all these styles will appreciate Jacqui's work. And seek out "Live at the Plush Room". It has a wonderful version of "Ain't no Sunshine".

I got goosebumps! No, I won't tell you where...but I will tell you when! I'm listening to track #5 "Tell Me More & More, & Then Some" an R&B/Bluesy tinged song written by Billie Holiday and at 4:35 into the song there's a pause. Not a lengthy pause mind you but a pause perceptible enough to make me turn my head to hear what was going to happen next. It's a rare thing to find an artist who can, in the midst of a song, make me hold my breath at any given moment but it happened in this instance and it made me smile. And, lucky ol'me, I'm still smiling!

It's a funny thing about this style of music. There are so many wonderfully talented singers out there and every great now and than I have the pleasure of hearing there debut disc which for me is, as Mel Torme would say, A REAL KICK! So I've been giving this cd a listen for a few days now and being a man of many words (sorry, I can't help it) thought I would share my discovery!

Jacqui Naylor's debut is a rather difficult disc to define. Her voice, at times, can be seemingly fragile but I found myself, by the time I got to the last track, actually quite taken with her unusual tonal quality and so I'm just tacking that up to my 'tin ear' perhaps needing more training.It does hold a certain innocence that belies an experience that she shows in threading her way through these numbers. The song selection, for a debut disc is extremely creative and at times even risky and for that she and her bandmates deserve kudos! Let's see.... "Can't Help Singing", a mid-tempo waltze style song that I instantly fell in love with, "What A Little Moonlight Can Do", the Billie Holiday classic is done respectively as is "The Way You Look Tonight" which is brisk and fun plus (hold your breath) "In The Wee Small Hours", which is done so tenderly that I suspect Frank is looking down smiling with an approving nod. And I shouldn't forget "Two Sleepy People", a new song for me but one that closes out the disc on a very sweet and lovely note.There are certainly other's, such as "Tell Me More..." but perhaps at another time. I kept thinking while listening to this wonderful disc that I would love to hear her cover some current songwriters as well i.e. Lauro Nyro or Tom Waits,an amazing tunesmith (is that a word?) whom she could really get her teeth into!

Now granted not everythng here was to my liking. I've never been a fan of "Lazybones", but that's my personal opnion and it certainly doesn't reflect upon Ms. Naylor in the least. Plus, I will admit to being a bit of a traditionalist so I believe that, generally speaking, the first song on any cd should not only set the tone but also give the listener some expectations of what to look for. And unfortunately, for me, "Lazybones simply doesn't accomplish that. And "Nocturne" was, for me, slightly slow and didn't mesh well with this singer's voice. Again that's only my opinion! But these flaws are inconsequential when surveying the rest of this wonderful cd. I was impressed with Jacqui's phrasing and the seemingly effortless way she handled each song. Obviously when doing 'standards' listener's tend to make the inevitable comparisons with other singers but it is to Jacqui Naylor's benefit that, for the most part, she holds her own! And again being a debut disc that bodes extremely well for her. Kudos indeed! And, proving that I am democratic in my accolades, band members Bob Johnson, saxophone and Andrew Ostwald, piano deserve special recognition as well. Mmmm...no drums, interesting!

Overall, there's so much here to enjoy and I for one am looking forward to what direction Jacqui Naylor's musical talents take her. I do respect her 'freshman' disc very much and feel that she's put a product out that is fresh, direct and most of all honest! And for that we're lucky to have her around. Goosebumps not withstanding that is!

Thanks Jacqui!

I had the pleasure to discover Jacqui's talent by chance recently and had the good fortune to acquire both her releases at the same time. First impressions count, you can never recreate those first moments and they form the basis for the continuing relationship with artist and listener. So it was with some anticipation I came to place this record in the player one autumnal morn, waiting for those first notes to cast their magic. The first track plays a pivotal role in entrancing the listener and Ms Naylor shows no mercy launching into "Lazybones" with a voice that hypnotises the listener like a moth to a flame. Its spell is compelling and before you know where you are "What a Little Moonlight Can Do" is enticing you to singe your wings. Play me more & more, and then some ... Stay awhile and indulge in her art, reminisce in an age when jazz was king and truly golden. Her voice is a highly toned instrument of seduction, an alluring and fluid essence that melts into your very soul. Close your eyes and her dusky tones carry you off to a table for two in a darkened jazz club, cigar smoke gently rising and an audience silenced, entranced. Her singing is fluid, instilling the illusion the song is sung just for the listener. This is what good jazz is all about and it makes my spirits soar that artists such as Jacqui are helping to bring about a renaissance in the golden age of jazz. Of course Ben Johnson is guilty of completing the captivation with his passionate and moody tenor saxophone playing. Who could resist those deep husky notes, his playing is what you'd sell your soul to the devil for. I adored Jacqui's rendition of that classic "The Way You Look Tonight" and "Embraceable You".

Too good for words, buy it and lose yourself in its spell ...

The sound of Jacqui Naylor is simply amazing. Dazzling, seductive, alluring...she just draws you in to her musical world and doesn't let go. I'm a big fan of female jazz vocalists and have heard Stacey Kent, Jane Maneheit, and Tierney Sutton live as well as on CD, but would put Jacqui Naylor in a class of her own. She's something very special and I only hope I have the chance to see her in person in the near future. Jacqui, please come to Minnesota and play the Dakota!

Jazz music is certainly one of the most beautiful, and "delectable" kinds of all time. Listening to her singing and the meanings in the songs really do touch something inside of you if you let it. I listen to it often while studying, and I find that I spend more time being nostalgic and lost in fantasy than analyzing a corporate strategic plan...Her music will either make you want to get up and dance wherever you are, or look up in the evening sky and sigh....She motivates me to sing.

The song "Tell Me More and Then Some" on this album is so terrific I have it on repeat play--others ask me for mercy, but hey, this is is as good as music gets. The vocalist and band are in perfect synchrony for some of the most fascinating tempo/lyrical interplay you will EVER hear. You will LOVE this one. Jacqui "sings low" and she can really deliver.

Jacqui Naylor's album offers the kind of cool romantic jazz that's been beating in our hearts for the past hundred years. With tenor sax, piano, bass, and guitar sharing the microphone, Naylor tosses out timeless phrases that paint a picture of quality in song. A century of jazz improvisation comingled with lyric storytelling has brought us to this eve of the next millennium with a place in our hearts for lovely music such as this.

I fell in love while listening to Jacqui's CD in a San Francisco Hotel. Every song conjures up an emotion and feeling and Jacqui's voice soon replaced my own. I hope you buy this and enjoy the powerful tone of Jacqui and that you too are moved by it as I was. Thank you Jacqui, there is a special place in my heart for you.