Dream
Nancy Newman; Jennifer Scott; Rene Worst; Buff Allen; Bill Buckingham
Independent (nancynmusic.com/new-album-dream)
Women who interpret standards with allure and uncommon wisdom and grace can be all-too rare, but for this Nancy Newman certainly gets my vote. She is an erudite vocalist, a natural stylist who can work with any kind of material and interprets standards with a completely independent mindset. Her phrasing is brilliant and so is the emotion she puts into a phrase. While digging into every word, she emerges like a breath of fresh air, giving each work a special grace.
Newman is not fazed by the limitations of her range. On Dream, a repertoire that includes film songs and other standards, she has set down authoritative accounts of what is billed as the Great American Songbook. Newman’s interpretations of Bond theme songs are quite special. On every one of them it feels as if she has a new story to tell. And with each one, the story of Mr. Bond takes on a new, more graceful, often more menacing, and energetic face.
