November 2008The
audiophile's favorite female vocalist has moved from the jazz arena to wrap her voice
around a set of tunes culled from the film world. Backed with the usual Groove Note cast
of stalwart musicians, such as Darek Oles, Anthony Wilson, and Joe LaBarbera, Jacintha
wends her way through such classics as "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head,"
"Alfie," "California Dreaming," and "Que Sera Sera." While
she handles this change in material confidently, she never quite gets the full grasp of
these songs. Consider "Raindrops." The original, sung by B.J. Thomas, has a
devil-may-care attitude that seems to thumb its nose at the rain. Jacinthas version,
on the other hand, has more of a "just go with it" feel. On "Que Sera
Sera," Jacintha again seems to not be overly familiar with the true essence of the
song, approaching it from an attitude of casual indifference. One listen to Holly Cole or
Doris Day doing the same number shows an attitude more in line with the way the song's
feel. Its possible that Jacintha chose songs that are too closely associated with
others for anything she does to stand out. There is nothing unpleasant about this album,
other than it just doesnt seem to stand up as well as Jacintha's previous efforts.
As is usual from Groove Note, the sound here is about as
good as it gets. Cut at the now-common 45rpm audiophile standard, Jacintha Goes To
Hollywood has an attention to detail that seems to elude most newly recorded material.
Jacinthas voice is fully formed, sounding as real as Ive heard. She appears to
be standing just slightly in front of the speaker plane, with the band spread out behind
her. Theres plenty of space around both the singer and the band, allowing each to
blossom fully. There is nothing sonically that will disappoint you about this LP.
Back to the music. I just wish Jacintha sounded more
familiar with these songs, or at least had a perspective on them that came across as one
she truly felt. I was let down after repeated listens; I could never quite muster up the
feeling that any of the songs were really hers.
GO BACK TO:
|