Album Review: Where Flamingos Fly from Naama

Album:  Where Flamingos Fly
Artists:  Naama Gheber
Label:  La-Reserve Music Label
Websites:  https://www.naamasings.com
 
Female jazz singers of yesteryear such as Sarah Vaughan and Peggy Lee can rest comfortably seeing vocalist Naama Gheber pick up the reins where these ladies left off.  Gheber's forthcoming release Where Flamingos Fly from La-Reserve Music Label is loaded with charismatic swing and torchlight warmth as she hones an intimate and friendly relationship with her audience.  Her recreations of nostalgic melodies and jazz standards extends their life span and allure

Gheber's vocal strut has a poised saunter gently supported by Bruce Barth's piano stride cruising sensually along Cindy Walker and Eddy Arnold's sentimental tune "You Don't Know Me," emoting an evocative lilt shrouded in a warm, bluesy ambience.  Gheber eloquently muses, "You think you know me well, but you don't know me, no you don't know the one, who dreams of you at night, and longs to kiss your lips, longs to hold you tight, to you I'm just a friend, that's all I've ever been, no you don't know me."  Accenting poignant syllables along the phrasing, Gheber expresses a sorrow that pierces into the listener's soul.

Moving onto the upbeat palpitations of Dave Baron's bass pulls along "By Myself," Gheber applies a caressing touch to the lyrics that penetrate the aural senses.  The torchlight atmosphere of "The Lamp Is Low" imbues a dreamy aura around Gheber's lingering vocals, and infuses "You Do Something To Me" with a bopping rhythm cultivated by Steve Nelson's bubbling vibraphone.  Gheber brandishes a serene sonorous through the nostalgic soundscapes of "May I Come In," and a honeyed resonance through "After You've Gone."

Picking up the reins where her predecessors left off, vocalist Naama Gheber's charismatic caress and coquettish toying with the lyrics is evocative and penetrative.  Her sensitivity and attachment to the melodies pervades an emotional depth that is intimate and visceral.  Israeli born, Naama’s interpretation and emotive phrasing has a timeless appeal.

Musicians:
Naama- vocals
Steve Nelson - vibraphone
Bruce Barth- piano
Dave Baron- bass