Modern Antique

Robin McKelle | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 2011)
• Original Release Date: 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Cheap Lullaby
• ASIN: B001BJ6652
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #141,108 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Robin McKelle comes out swinging on her second disc of big band jazz Modern Antique. The bassist plucks some fat rich chords the pianist skitters over the keysand McKelle herself confidently scats over the melody while the horn section eggs her on. The mood is playfully flirtatious just this side of naughty. The entire combo is having so much fun and so are you that the tune is almost over before you realize it s an ingenious re-arrangement of Steve Miller s seventies classic Abracadabra. That opening gambit sets the tone for everything that follows: The singer has created a stylistically ambitious follow-up to her debut while still managing to evoke and honor the forties big-band sound she explored on the remarkable Introducing Robin McKelle. There are more rhythm and blues touches revealing McKelles torchy side and she concludes the album with a self-penned ballad ( Remember ) that fits in comfortably with the American Songbook gems that precede it. Modern Antique will impress the ever-growing audience who ve already discovered McKelle -- via National Public Radio her glowing press notices or good old word of mouth -- and it should attract the even wider audience in the U.S. she clearly deserves.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Modern Antique is the Jumbo Shrimp of Contemporary Classic, December 29, 2008

By 

Eric C. Sedensky "late-to-jazz musician" (Madison, AL, US) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Modern Antique (Audio CD)

It's old news that when it was released in 1982, Steve Miller's "Abracadabra", with the icy fire of his loud whisper, and the obvious innuendo of the lyrics created a mild sensation. Twenty six years later, Robin McKelle's jazzy remake is the only choice for leading off her interesting recording, Modern Antique. That catchy lead-off was really all I needed to want this recording, but on the whole, I find the entire CD exuberant and invigorating. Robin's sound is as attractive and flowing as the pretty pink dress in the liner notes, and her professional approach can be appreciated even in the absence of a single defining characteristic of her music. She's scats with enthusiasm, takes a pleading tone, mocking tone, or whatever each song calls for. She's multiple muses all in one. Seriously, she's efficient and accurate, and when singing the jazz standards that make up most of the rest of this recording, like Comes Love, Lullaby of Birdland, Lover Man, and Cheek to Cheek, that is really what demanded. It also helps that she has the equivalent of a big band supporting her, which keeps the excitement level high and the music robust and full throughout. I suppose Robin will never be accused of being a genuine imitation, even if she almost exactly duplicates some of the original copies of other singers that came before her. But that's why when other performers are found missing, Robin can act naturally and pull off a terribly pleasing piece of vocal jazz.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars With Her It's The Fab Band!, October 21, 2008

By 

H. L. Dietor "Reiki Spirit" (Greensburg, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Modern Antique (Audio CD)

It seems to me that with many of the talented 'standards' singers we have now, the songs are about only their voice or sometimes you're left thinking, "Didn't much care for the singing, but the band was very good." With Ms. McKelle who has an outstanding voice and wonderful excitment in her enterpretations, I say no either/or here! It's as close as we're going to get to those great Big Band moments that our grandparents were lucky enough to experience. On both of her CDs, Ms. McKelle shares the space with some outstanding musicians who make these tunes more than a great time. So, it's a two-fer, and a grand listening experience. Swing on!

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jazz Times Review - August 2008!, August 19, 2008

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My Review for you. - See all my reviews

This review is from: Modern Antique (Audio CD)

Jazz Times, August 2008

She's a Berklee grad and a Thelonius Monk Vocal Jazz Competition

finalist. She often sounds a lot like Anita O'Day, except when she

sounds eerily like Nancy Wilson. She's blessed with O'Day's

indefatigable verve as well as her innate sense of swing, and echoes

Wilson's relaxed authority. Two years ago, she delivered a dynamite

debut disc, Introducing Robin McKelle, embracing a retro big-band vibe

with the ease and intelligence of a softer-edged Bette Midler. Now

she's back with a second big-band effort even better than the first.

Willie Murillo, who steered much of the previous album, again serves

as principal arranger. But Chris Barron, Gordon Goodwin, Randy

Waldman, pianist Alain Mallet and McKelle herself also contribute

arrangements; and remarkably, considering the number of cooks stirring

the pot, the results are not only consistently good but also

seamlessly consistent. For fans of gorgeous standards lovingly

nestled in ideal settings and sung with impeccable beauty and style,

Modern Antique is essential listening. But McKelle and company go a

few captivating steps further: first by transforming rocker Steve

Miller's '80s chart-toppet "Abracadabra" into three-and-a-half minutes

of pure, inventive jazz pleasure; then by doubling the strength of

the Nina Simone anthem "Go to Hell" by defusing its anger and

replacing it with assured wisdom; and, finally, by exiting on tiptoe

(just McKelle on vocals and piano, supported by a gentle wave of

strings) with the tenderly reflective, self-penned ballad "Remember."