Customer Reviews

You'd Be Nice to Come Home to

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Christine Hitt's first album, "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To" is a strong debut work for this clearly talented artist. Her interpretive piano skills are excellent, with a genuine sensitivity for the form. Her voice is bright, and lyrical and best served on the faster paced and lighter selections such as the title song, "Sitting In A Tree", and "Thou Swell". Given the overwhelming previous success of Diana Krall in this genre, comparisons are unavoidable. Hitt lacks the vocal and emotional resonance of Krall, and is apparently unable to connect with the soulful dark edges of ballads like, "What'll I Do" and "What Is This Thing Called Love". This is an area that either needs additional attention or avoidance in the future. However, her choice of Moonlight (The theme to the recent remake of Sabrina) is intriguing and her performance of it is marvelous. The backup musicians are well chosen, for their performance is flawless. This is not surprising when artists such as the exciting Jeff Hamilton are involved (interestingly he performs on Krall's albums as well, along with longtime friend and legendary bassist Ray Brown). I look forward to following Ms Hitt's progress and purchasing her next album.

Included in this recording session are fifteen tracks of some great jazz. There a well known standards as well as some less familiar tunes that are laid out with nice variety. This is a talented group of musicians that perform very well together. Vocalist Christine Hitt has a great voice and displays skill, versatility and tasteful interpretations of the different styles presented in this recording. To me, I can hear the influence of Frank Sinatra and Chris Conner. Others may hear something completely different. If you enjoy great vocal jazz and want a fresh new vocalist to check out, then this recording is for you. I have thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it.

Leave it to me to show up at the party late - more than ten years after jazz singer and pianist Christine Hitt recorded her debute album, "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To," I finally got around to listening to it. But better late than never and I'm glad I finally did.

Ms Hitt has spent her life emersed in music - her parents are musicians, her husband is a musician and she has not one, but two universty degrees in "piano performance." She has played with everybody from Patti Page to Marilyn McCoo to Dizzy Gillespie to the Tommy Doresy Ochestra; she has toured internationally; and she has taught college level music classes.

Ms Hitt has a pretty, warm, dark-edged contralto voice with just a whisp of smoke in it and a 3+ octave range. She articulates with precision; she phrases well; and she swings easily and naturally. There are plenty of singers with bigger reputations that would/should be nervous about sharing a stage with Ms Hitt.

"You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To," is a set of 15 songs, (plus a "bonus" CD-ROM video track) - most of 'em are standards like: "What'll I Do," "Thou Swell," "A Time for Love," "I've Got a Crush on You," and, of course, the title song. There are also some oddities like "Sitting in a Tree," a poem by e.e.cummings, set to music by Kim Portnoy. Ms Hitt handles all of these songs easily - there's not a single misstep on the record.

The band is outstanding. Most of the piano work is done by Ms Hitt, (Ray Kennedy sits in on a couple of songs) - she has a lyrical, postbop style - both tecnically adept and pleasing to the ear. And the rest of the band is top notch: bassist Tom Kennedy, drummers Jeff Hamilton and Todd Strait, Scott Alberici on the clarinet and guitarist Rick Haydon.

The sonics are excellent: there's an almost "live" energy to the recording - Ms Hitt's voice is clear and clean - and there's plenty of instrumental separation.

Bottom line: if you're a fan of mainstream vocal jazz, you'll enjoy coming home to Ms Hitt.

this is a strong debut album from a vastly talented singer and pianist. although she can remind a listener of diana krall, she seems an antidote to the much over-hyped krall sound. hitt has a supple and subtle voice which she swings as smartly as krall, but allows to soar and move alongisde her fleet-fingered piano. (krall, because of limitations imposed by her voice, her imagination, or her record label's greed, does not.) hitt is a singer who attends to melody and lyric, but can also improvise with the lyric or with scat. her voice's quiet power is well-supported by a sympathetic band (kudos to drummer hamilton and bassist kennedy) and her own intelligent piano interjections. here's hoping that she can tackle even more adventurous material her next time around. if she is unable, then she will be trapped in the krall rut -- a jazz lite jukebox at the mercy of a passionless audience. here's hoping hitt gets to do what this album points to -- play music!

An excellent album due to Ms. Hitt's voice and piano talent. The group of excellent musicians helps too! A bit like Diana Krall but without the limitations and heavy handed producing. Buy it! It's good for you.

Christine you have become a big Hitt with me. You are a good talent that should be reckoned with. You are perhaps that new jazz singer that the world has been looking for. I am more than impressed with this your debut cd.

Christine has a very pleasent voice. It is a joy to listen to her voice. She is equally a good pianist. Wow! what a combination. Christine seems to be a natural at performing jazz. She makes it seem so effortless.

I hope there will more cds to come from you in the future.

Recommendation: I would like to recommend this cd.