Album Review: Lotus Blossom Days from Vicki Burns

Album:  Lotus Blossom Days
Artist:  Vicki Burns
Website:  www.vickiburnsjazz.com

Vocalist Vicki Burns encapsulates, in a nutshell, that her third solo release Lotus Blossom Days "chronicles the arc of a love affair, from the early seduction and love to the sadness and bitterness when the relationship doesn’t work out to gaining a perspective that leads to a wider view of love, life, and ultimately happiness."

The jazz standards she selects for the recording are complimented by three original songs she wrote and one written by her friend, vocalist Tessa Souter.  Burns croons with the ease of a skylark, emotes with the persuasion of a perceptive bard, and swings with the tranquility of a baby's cradle.  Art Hirahara's introduces Burns's serenade "Love Spell" with a steamy piano vamp that ebbs as Sam Bevan's bass supports Burns's vocal flight.  Hirahara's keys resurface along the chord progressions accompanied by Dayna Stephens's swirling saxophone toots, wheedling a dreamy atmosphere.

Another original track of Burns is "Siren Song," shimmering a soft elegance reflective of Eden Ahbez's "Nature Boy."  Burns's vocals soar and gently lingers with an intuitive pulse along Souter's tune "You Don't Have To Believe," showing a kindred ardour relatable to epic orchestrations that move the human spirit like the theme songs for Cecil B. DeMille's The Ten Commandments and Anthony Mann's film El Cid. That is not to say the melody is particularly religious but the instrumentation in conjunction with Burns's strong and vibrant vocals emit an exalting lift in the way composers project glorious elevations in scores for such epic films.  There is even an middle eastern vibe in Billy Drummond's accented drum beats and the exotic nuances of Burns's vocalese.

The torchlight embers of "Bittersweet" come alive as Burns's vocals graze with a glowing vigor across the piano melody.  Her command of the tune pervades a feminine prowess that radiates inner strength.  The rhythmic merengue sway of "Close Your Eyes" imbues a tenderness that silhouettes Burns's sultry vocals in an amorous ambience.  Her sense of rhythm is perceptive and the sensuality in her vocal caress is instinctual.  The bopping grooves of "Out of This World" have an R&B propulsion as Burns's vocals buoy the track in dreamy vibrations.

Produced by Burns and her bass player Sam Bevan, the recording follows her offerings Live at Anna’s Jazz Island in 2008 and previously her debut Siren Song in 2005, seeing Burns's vocals take flight track after track.  Her inclination to elevate her audience is repeated across the release, and never grows tiring.

Musicians:
Vicki Burns - vocals
Art Hirahara - piano
Sam Bevan - bass
Billy Drummond - drums
Dayna Stephens - tenor and baritone saxophone
Josh Deutsch - trumpet
Mas Koga - flute and baritone saxophone on "Close Your Eyes"
Nick Vayenas - trombone