Album Review: The Heart Wants from Jo Harrop

-

Album:  The Heart Wants
Artist:  Jo Harrop
Label:  Lateralize
Website:  https://www.joharrop.com/about

If the Beatles had a female band member, she would have been singer-songwriter Jo Harrop.  Of course, the Beatles would have needed to arrive 60 years later than they did to make that happen.  To everyone else's good fortune, Harrop has arrived, and her latest CD The Heart Wants features all original songs written by her and accompanied by sparse arrangements, placing her nuanced vocals in the forefront. 

The smoky textures of her vocals give the tracks a misty veneer like she recently brushed off old memories and brought them up to the surface for reflection.  Her voicing is appealing like that of an old friend coming along and taking a trip down memory lane.  The audience isn't merely a spectator but is invited inside to remember along with Harrop those moments that earmarked chapters in one's life.

Her voice turns sultry and flirtatious in "Red Mary Janes & A Brand New Hat," strutting sensually along a burlesque-style piano vamp.  The pendulum sway of "Hold On" creates a pensive atmosphere that draws the listener into the thinly layered arrangement and emotive lyrics as Harrop confesses, "You have your life / and darling, I've got mine too / all I know is this can never be / but still I hold on for you / you started this fire / and still I'm burning inside / so I just hold on for you / I hold on for you / until the rivers run dry / what else can I do / all my love / I hold on for you." Her handling of the lyrics moves the listener to feel a broad range of emotions from empathy to compassion.

The lingering sensations emoted in her vocals is finessed to a refined resonance along "If I Knew" that makes the drama portrayed in the lyrics feel real for the listener.  The wispy flow of her delivery is penetrative through "Rainbow Sleeves" contouring the dulcet swells of the track in twinkling torchlight glitters.  The calmness in her vocals is attractive, lulling softly as she holds her audience in rapt attention.

Harrop sings from her soul, going deeper than any classical training could have prepared her.  She generates a closeness with listeners as though she is revealing a page to them from her home journal in each track.  Born in Durham, she was raised on singers like Nina Simone, Billie Holiday and Tony Bennett.  Her training came as a backup singer for such artists as Neil Diamond, Rod Stewart, Gloria Gaynor, and Enrique Iglesias.  However, singing from her soul was all her own doing, and she does it extremely well and effortlessly.

Musicians:
Jo Harrop - vocals
Christian McBride - bass
Jason Rebello - piano
Jamie McCredie - guitar

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Album Review: This Could Be The Start from Linda Purl

-
Image
Album: This Could Be The Start Artist:  Linda Purl Label: Reaching Records Website:  https://www.lindapurl.com Vocalist Linda Purl and her music director Tedd Firth come together for their fourth album, This Could Be the Start .  The collection contains Purl's reimagination of a handful of jazz standards, tailored to her vocal specifications.  Supported by an intimate cadre of musicians that include bassist David Finck, drummer Ray Marchica and reed player Nelson Rangell, Purl finesses a selection of Great American Songbook jewels with a contemporary sheen. The playful merengue rhythm driving "Blue Moon," a swinging romp written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, is trussed in Ray Marchica's percolating percussion and a profusion of jutting keys performed by Ted Firth.  The track steps out of the customary schematics of swing jazz bolstered by blues vocals and articulates a Latin-imbued tremor.  The bossa nova curves shaping one of Cole Porter's signature pieces,
Read more

Album Review: The Ways In from James Zollar

-
Image
Album:  The Ways In Artist:  James Zollar Label:  Label: JZAZ Records Websites:  https://www.rsberkeley.com/james-zollar https://www.discogs.com/artist/954763-James-Zollar https://wyntonmarsalis.org/personnel/detail/james-zollar A straight-ahead jazz oeuvre, The Ways In from bandleader and trumpet player James Zollar resumes a quest where pioneers of the trumpet's sympathetic vibrations like Clifford Brown and Bill Coleman left off.  Zollar shows audiences the delightful, melodious tone of the trumpet, moving in harmony with an array of brass, woodwinds, and rhythm instruments. The robust wails of Zollar's trumpet strutting languidly along "Do Nothing 'till You Hear From Me" emotes an enduring personable trait, unwavering persistence in the face of being dejected.  The recording switches to a joyful atmosphere in "Swing Spring" with jangly beats from percussionist Chembo Corniel, interfacing with the buoyant ripples generated by Michael Rorby's trom
Read more

Album Review: Globetrotter from Luca di Luzio

-
Image
Album:  Globetrotter Artist:  Luca di Luzio Label:  Self-Released Website:  www.lucadiluzio.it   Guitarist Luca di Luzio's upcoming CD, Globetrotter  is an assortment of contemporary jazz tunes bridging funk, blues, soul, and Latin music.  Comprised of a few jazz standards and a handful of original works written by Luca di Luzio, a prolific guitar player who studied different styles of music, the recording expresses his personal vision of jazz guitar based on melody and groove.  Joining Di Luzio in his vision are bass guitarist Jimmy Haslip, drummer Dave Wecki, keyboardist George Whitty, and saxophonists Max Ionata and Alessandro Fariselli. From dance-funk numbers like "Jazzlife" and "Elisir" to the soft billows and reflective moods projected in "Smile" and " Buena Suerte," Di Luzio's artistry stems from his vision to make music that is aesthetically pleasing.  "Sunshower," a tune written by Kenny Barron, is a pr
Read more