Words We Both Could Say Shannon Butcher Independent SB2008
You Go To My Head Janelle Monique ZaFeMusik ZAFE2007
Debut discs from several
young singers have made their way over the WholeNote transom this
summer. This
month we have two examples, with more to come in future issues. Shannon Butcher has come out
of the gate strongly with “Words We Both Could Say”. The main
attraction of
this disc, besides Butcher’s very fine vocal work, is the refreshingly
unusual
(for a jazz record) source material. With nary a standard in sight, the
ten
tracks of jazzified pop tunes draws from such diverse sources as The
Beatles,
No Doubt, Blondie (Deborah Harry) and Jimmy Webb/Glen Campbell. The
only tune
that remotely resembles a standard is It Might As Well Be Spring,
and
that gets a bossa nova-ish treatment that spritzes it up nicely.
Butcher’s
appealingly light, clear, and at times breathy voice, works well on
both up
tempo and slower tunes. Although the disc is an eclectic mix there is a
very
definite style to the arrangements and performances from core players
Ross
MacIntyre on bass, Michael Shand on piano and Mark McLean on drums that
make it
a cohesive yet unique collection. The standout tracks for me are Tears
for
Fears’ Mad World, which has been getting a lot of airplay on
JazzFM, and
Wichita Lineman with its gentle syncopation, enriched harmonies
and
gorgeous guitar work by Rob Piltch, which is worth the purchase price
alone. www.shannonbutcher.com Janelle Monique’s offering
“You Go to My Head” takes a completely different approach. Monique and
producer
Oliver Miguel draw heavily on standards - and some, like Misty,
even tip
over into the chestnut category - but the use of 80’s pop/funk/salsa
instrumentation render them exhilaratingly difficult to recognize.
There are
also a handful of pop tunes, like Dust in the Wind and Sting’s Fragile,
on which Max Senitt and Richardo Lewis on drums, Kibwe Thomas on
keyboards and
Oliver Miguel on sax, guitars, and programming turn in some beautiful
playing.
Add to that a few bossa nova standards and it all adds up to a quirky
pop/funk/Latin/soul/swing stew. Monique’s singing style is rooted in
R&B
and Latin American soil, so, for me, the vocals on the songs that are
not swing
standards work much better. Some, like A Felicidade, are a
perfect fit. www.moniquemusique.com Cathy Riches
