Album Review: The Rings of Saturn from Joanne Tatham

Album:  The Rings of Saturn
Artist:  Joanne Tatham
Label:  Cafe Pacific Records
Website:  https://www.joannetatham.com

Vocalist Joanne Tatham celebrates the gorgeous sounds of cabaret blues on her CD The Rings of Saturn.  As one Washington Post reviewer praises her shimmering vibrato, her voice is touted for being "reminiscent of the pop balladeers of the late '50s and early '60s," liken to such crooners as Shirley Bassey and Dinah Washington. Some may feel her time has passed with the mid-20th century while others embrace Tatham's steadfast affection for everlasting music.



A compilation of jazz standards, pop favorites, and original numbers, Tatham embraces the jazz cabaret syllabus of the mid-20th century on her recording, opening with Nina Simone's perennial tune "Love Me or Leave Me."  Rather than delivering the song in a Nina Simone-esque voicing, Tatham inscribes the melody with her own individual imprint and nuances, making the song sound brand new.  Adding to her repertoire, the title track blends a buoyant Latin rhythm with contemporary pop effects appreciated by mature audiences. 

Tatham's vocal stylizing illustrates a sophistication emblematic of her predecessors like Melissa Manchester and Petula Clark.  Her rendition of "Can We Still Be Friends," penned by Todd Rundgren, showcases an excellent use of billowing horns, freely roaming and forming dazzling twirls that give the tune an upbeat feel.  The bossa nova sway of Antonio Carlos Jobim's enduring gem "If You Never Come To Me" is tailored to Tatham's satiny alto timbres, bringing out her womanly sensitivity.  She applies human emotion to the lyrics when she shares, "What is the evening without you / It may be you will never come / If you never come to me / What is the use of my wonderful dream / And why would they need me / Where would they lead me without you / To nowhere."

Track after track, Joanne Tatham showcases the gorgeous lilt of her voice, the emotive range of her sensitivity to give life to the lyrics, and her natural inclination to understand the cabaret style of delivery that resonates with audiences.  Pleasant, nice, sophisticated, and soothing all describe her singing, denoting a chanteuse who knows how to hold an audience captive with solely her voice.


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