Customer Reviews

Vertigo

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Rene Marie is a formidable talent. The arrangements here are fresh and surprising. Her range is impressive. "Surrey with the Fringe" is remarkably soft and even sultry. She puts a bold twist on standards, and delivers powerful vocals on her own material. An outstanding cd.

Vertigo, Rene' Marie's second album on the MaxxJazz label is a necessary addition to the collection of all jazz lovers. The CD features 11 songs. Tracks 1 thru 10 are Rene's arrangements. On track 11 Rene share arrangement credits with Burch Barth, the albums producer. Again, as on her previous album, Rene showcases her song writing talent with track # 3 "I'd Rather Talk About You"; (a blues tune), # 4 "Don't Look At Me Like That"; (hard to describe, but very light and playful, with some curious conversation in the background), and the title track # 7 "Vertigo". Rene' displays a wit and sophistication in her lyrics, and music, on a canvas of masterful arrangements. "Vertigo", the longest track on the album is a straight-ahead jazz piece that features bass, percussion, and drums at the beginning. The tenor sax is overlaid, and set in call and response with the piano. This piece more than any other showcases the extraordinary talent of the musicians (Rene's vocal musicianship included) on this CD. Mulgrew Miller on piano, and Jeffery Haynes on percussion, are the only returning personnel from "How Can I Keep From Singing?". On track #1 "Them There Eyes", Rene utilizes Robert Hurse on bass and Jeff "Tain"Watts on drums, and features the scat of Rene. Track # 2 is probably the most cheerful song I've heard in years, Rogers & Hammersteins "Surrey With The Fringe On Top". On this song Rene' slows it down and swings with it. Also of note is Track # 6, the Cole Porter tune "It's All Right With Me" which features Hurse on Bass and Chris Potter on bass clarinet along with Rene' Marie on vocals. And then there's the medley "Dixie/Strange Fruit". Who would have thought to pair up these two emotionally intense songs but Rene' Marie. All in all, the song writing, selection of material, and arrangements makes me glad I have my ear towards this artist, and thankful Rene' has shared her love for the art of jazz. Just listen. Your ears will be smiling too.

I was introduced to Rene Marie's work at a concert in St. Louis in 2001. She is such an intelligent and creative agent with her voice, using it as one of the instruments, giving her musicians room to shine as she accompanies them! This album closely captures the magic she presents in live performance. Her presentation of the light standards at the beginning of this CD, lead gradually to increasingly deep, more soulful, heart-wrenching work. Fans of Ella, Sarah, and Billie will find Rene Marie cut of similiar cloth.

Music lovers in Virginia have had the great good fortune of having Rene Marie residing Roanoke and Richmond over the past few years. We have watched her develop her jazz vocal skills in concerts, clubs and even a theater musical. This is her second album distrbuted nationally and its just great! She has the ability to give a unique interpretation of everything from jazz classics to pop to folk music. Her rendering of the medley of Dixie and Strange Fruit is worth the price of the album alone. If you are considering the purchase of this CD check out that cut or Them There Eyes. I understand Rene Marie has moved from Virginia to a bigger market. We will sorely miss her.....

As contemporary jazz vocalese albums go, this is, unequivacably, one of the best ones out there.

Rene Marie is an incredible talent, and this is evident throughout this exceptionally well produced effort. Her voice and stylistic leanings grab and hold you thoughout. She has the knock of deconstructing standards and repackaging them in a fashion that is both compelling and tasteful. Many artists who attempt this come up with nothing but gimicky fluff. This effort, to the contrary, is nothing but solid and engrossing. Plus, Rene Marie is a talented composer, exemplified by "Don't Look At Me Like That" and "Vertigo," the title tune.

By the way, did I mention that Rene Marie can swing her tush off?

On this effort, which seemed to end much too soon, she is accompanied by an outstanding group of musicians, including Mulgrew Miller and Jeff "Tain" Watts. Even lesser known artists here, such as bassist Robert Hurst and percussionist Jeffrey Haynes, leave their mark.

Try Rene Marie's Vertigo, you'll love the taste.

Rene Marie's new cd Vertigo is a really interesting look at one of today's most exciting jazz vocalist. Rene's mix of standars and original compositions reflect a daring and passion for storytelling that is hard to ignore. Dixie/Strangefruit will grab your heart and mind without asking your permission first. Her gospel-like solo intro of Dixie that then segues into Strangefruit leaves the listener absolutely nowhere to hide.

Vertigo, written by Rene, is a rocket ride that we don't get too often from today's jazz vocalists. This song is about the dioriented feeling of falling in love. If love is like this, sign me up! Rene pushes herself on this song like a woman possesed, and the band is right there with her. Don't Look At Me, another Rene Marie original, explores love at the edge of forbidden hesitation.... a little intrigue, please.

Rene took chances on this cd. Rather than wrap every song in the standard jazz quartet or quintet sound, she gives some of the songs a refreshing vocal/instrument pairing. It's Alright With Me, accompanied by bass clarinet and acoustic bass, gives this story a dark and compelling delivery. Rene's sultry voice takes the listener right to that secret place, you know the one!

The songs on Vertigo are not just about jazz chops and stuff, but, this is a collection of life experiences sung with an intent to take the listener on an excursion through the nooks and crannies of their own knowing. This is where you arrive when you've done some living and some... loving.

Rene Marie is HOT !!!!

Vertigo is HOT !!!

This is a welcome relief with so many blase singers flooding the market today. Rene is an intelligent singer with a terrific instrument and this disc is a very highly produced product - by that I mean the recording is very clean and the musicians and arrangements first rate. My personal favorite is the great old standard I Only Have Eyes For You which has a very nice acoustical guitar giving the song a different spin. Another singer to check out who I do not see on Amazon is NYC's Angela DiNero - another throw back to the old school. This listener would like to hear more of the real deal and less of today's pretend bebopper's. Both of these gals know how to phrase with some intelligence and both understand the concept of swing - talk about a lost art form. Give this Cd a try then look for Angela.

I never thought I'd fall in love with the song "Surrey With the Fringe On Top". I mean, I liked it well enough, thought it was cute. But when Ms Marie put her talent to it.... Wow! You really must experience it to understand. The same can be said of all the songs on this CD. I'd not heard of Rene Marie before listening to her sing a song on a local jazz radio station. That led me to search her out on Amazon and listen to a few notes of some of the songs on this CD. It was enough to prod me to purchase and I've been playing this one and her other, "How Can I Keep From Singing" nearly non-stop since then. What a wonderful treat. Can't wait for her next CD.

The second this CD starts, with "Them There Eyes," Rene Marie sends you reeling. Her talent simply blasts through her work so as to make you think, where has she been all our lives? A very worthy evolution of the Holliday-Vaughan style, brought right into 2002. This is BIG!

I've seen René Marie performing live in Paris at the end of October (2001). She was awesome! She blew away the audience! Though a studio CD can't capture the live atmosphere, you will anyway be amazed by what she can do on this record, as well as her first CD "How Can I Keep From Singing?"... Slow, fast, with a precise pronunciation, a huge sense of musicality, she takes chances for the pleasure of our ears... She's great on standards that she makes her own, and I would advise to listen closely to her three compositions on this album, especially the title song "Vertigo" : you won't believe a singers can pen something like this today! René is the top!