Customer Reviews

You Are There

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

For her sophomore CD, Hilary Cole sings 13 covers accompanied by 11 jazz pianists: Kenny Barron, Monty Alexander, Alan Broadbent, Cedar Walton, Freddy Cole, Benny Green, Steve Kuhn, Michel Legrand, Dave Brubeck, Mike Renzi, and the late Hank Jones. The results are sophisticated and enchanting, perfectly showcasing her pitch perfect vocals and pellucid phrasing. Oh, and did I mention that she is also rather easy on the eye? :-)

Dave Brubeck accompanies her twice, on "These foolish things" and "Strange meadowlark", as does Hank Jones on "If I had you" and "But beautiful". There isn't any need to go into each track, but "Everytime we say goodbye" has a simple divine piano break (Cedar Walton), while Freddy Cole also duets vocally with her on the playful "It's always you" (and sounding like Nat King Cole). She also handles the challenging Billy Strayhorn classic "Lush life" with Kenny Barron with ease.

Every song is a classic, the last Jazz CD I enjoyed as much was My One & Only Thrill by Melody Gardot. Kole inhabits each song with inflections and emotion that belies her age. Truly beautiful romantic music.

I have been a huge jazz and cabaret fan all my life. In the past 50 years I have seen a great many of the very best female singers. My storage is filled with CD's from Ella to Sarah to Jackie Ryan to Nancy Lamott. Hilary Kole is my new favorite. The tunes here are among the best of the Great American Songbook. Hilary's voice is rich and full, but--as an actor (retired)--I feel it is her interpretation, phrasing, and tone that lifts her above the rest. And she's beautiful. If she does not become a big star, there is no justice.

I would have a difficult time disagreeing with much about what Nse Ette had to say in an earlier review.The music on this recording for the most part is top notch & at times gorgeous. Ms Kole has a lovely voice & does a great job on most of these tunes. The highlights for me

were "Two For The Road", "This Is Always","These Foolish Things","All The Way" & "You Are There". The reason why I'm not able to give this a 5 star rating is that I did not care for 3 of the tunes & was especailly not happy with her rendition of The Bergmans' "How Do I Keep The Music Playing"; a song that I really enjoy. I thought it called for a more sensitive read & I would direct the reader to explore how this was done by cabaret performers Lynne Jackson & Mike Palter on their super recording entitled "Sittin' On A Rainbow".Two other songs I just didn't much care for; "I Remember" & "Strange Meadowlark". I understand that others might like all those tunes.

The piano playing on this recording is outstanding & I love her concept of putting an album together with a variety of pianists.How can you go wrong with the likes of Hank Jones,Kenny Barron,Monty Alexander,Alan Broadbent,Steve Kuhn et al.There is plenty to like on this recording & I'm very happy with it. I recommend it.

I was looking forward to hearing this album on a basis of seeing some of my favorite pianists appearing on it. I thought "With all these great guys here (and some of them are particularly well known in the business for their ability to accompany a vocalist), how bad can it be?"

Unfortunately even such distinguished group of accompanists couldn't hide the fact that this vocalist totally lucks any feeling for jazz including time and swing. She sounds vocally well-trained and sings in tune and if you like a New Broadway ( Andrew Lloyd Weber) style of singing you may want to give it a listen but there is nothing here for a true jazz vocal lover.All the tempos are slow and dragging and only in some short piano interludes any hint of a swing could be detected.

Even pianists looking to improve their skill accompanying a singer are advised to look elsewhere- all the players here turn quite professional but not particularly inspired performances and they all have played better elsewhere. A pity....

I really enjoy Hilary. Her voice is beautiful and her phrasing is perfect.

I just wish that she made more albums.

This is female jazz vocal at its very best. I close my eyes and I am in the Empire Room of the old Conrad Hilton in Chicago.

So who is Hilary Kole? Is she one of the ancient Sirens of Greek myth, or a lovely angel that like in one of my favorite movies (Wings of Desire)decided to become a mortal?

I first heard her voice on WBGO Jazz radio, she had already stolen the hearts of long time anchors Michael Bourne, and Gary Walker, how was I to know that I would be next? After looking her up on Amazon, reading the reviews, and listening to the samples I decided on this CD. Being a Jazz fan it was logical that my first CD choice would be her collaboration with such great artists as Hank Jones, Freddy Cole, Michael Legrand, Dave Brubeck among others. In the words of my younger nieces Hilary Koles, "You Are There" is "awesome", and she is without a doubt one of the finest young talents to come around in a long time. Then to complete my captivity I saw her in person during the Christmas holidays at our famous Bird Land in New York City. She easily enthralled her audience with her warm, charming, upbeat personality, and wonderful performance. This woman is a serious artist who in the years to come will take us along with her as she uncovers, and reinterprets the great American Jazz songbook. Her voice is haunting, and beautiful, and her perfect sense of phrasing is remarkable considering her youthfulness. And yes, I am without a doubt star struck by this beautiful,elegant young woman and am even more grateful to have heard, and met her in person. So get this CD, buy a bottle of some good champagne or wine, light up some candles, turn off the phone, lock the door, and cuddle up with somebody you love.

Hilary Kole is a talented and very attractive singer who has a great accompaniment. I saw her live doing these songs and she is amazing in her phrasing and smart in her choice of songs, several by alec wilder.

A brief about my bona fides: I have zero musical ability, and I grew up in thrall to the rock stars of the '60s. As the years progressed, I gravitated to the voices that told stories, touched powerful emotional chords, and moved me by their beauty. This work by Hilary Kole reaches me on all three levels. She has a lovely voice; her selections speak to my own realities; and I found myself growing more contemplative with each listening. If you share my priorities, you will be rewarded.

In the beginning, there was Hilary Kole accompanied by Hank Jones. "If I Had You" is an enticing welcome to this collection of duets featuring Hilary Kole with pianists we all love. Cedar Walton then leads Hilary through "Every Time We Say Goodbye." A fabulous follow-up.

But then raspy voiced Freddy Cole, not content to just manage the keyboard, attempts to harmonize with Hilary and proceeds, in my mind, to stop the music. Sounding more like Froggy The Gremlin than Nat King Cole, he sleep walks through "It's Always You" and sets the recording on its head.

Later Hilary, along with Dave Brubeck, restores order with "These Foolish Things" and then teams with Hank Jones again for the beautiful "But Beautiful." Kole concludes the album with three superlative vocals backed by more outstanding keyboard play: "You Are There" (Alan Broadbent); "Two For The Road" (Steve Kuhn) and "All The Way" (Monty Alexander).

All reviews of this album will likely agree that the piano playing is excellent. Hilary Kole rises to that level as well on many of the tunes. Particularly when she is allowed to sing by herself.

Marvelous CD. It is one that you can sit back and relax to after a hard day at work. Hilary is also a warm and charming person. We had the chance to meet her at Birdland in Manhattan last year.