That’s What I Do
Barbra Lica
Triplet TR-1016-2
www.barbralica.com
“She has a voice that would scarcely reach the second storey of a doll’s house” is what the New Yorker music critic Whitney Balliet once wrote about the jazz singer, Blossom Dearie. Anyone who, like me, was a fan of the 60s icon will find the comparison inescapable when listening to Barbara Lica’s debut CD That’s What I Do. And it’s not just the light, girlish vocal quality that invites comparison but also her ability to deliver a song with clarity, wit and deftness. Perennially upbeat, all the songs on That’s What I Do have a sheen of positivity even when delving into what could be dark topics, like being a starving artist, as she does on her own composition Scarlett O’Hara. Many of the strongest songs on the disc — and the least jazzy — are the originals, which Lica wrote mostly with her partner and guitar player Colin Story. Bass player Paul Novotny also contributes much as producer and arranger, injecting new, sophisticated life into the bossa nova standard Quiet Nights and a fun Parisian jazz-meets-reggae feel to the Billy Joel pop hit Vienna. Lica does a lovely job on the older standards like P.S. I Love You and Young At Heart, which totally suit her style. The affection she obviously has for these songs is infectious and will put a smile on any listener’s face.
