| December 2008The Putumayo World
Music label knows how to release a good collection of music. Regardless of genre, this
label's compilations can be counted on to be original, well planned and eye-opening in
their exposure of up-and-coming artists. The same is true and then some for their latest
release, Women of Jazz. The ten women featured are all stellar singers who exude
the aesthetics of sultry, brooding, honey-voiced grand dames of jazz. However, the only
one I recognized and whose work I had heard before was Cassandra Wilson, who presents a
double-time version of the standard "Lover Come Back to Me." The obscurity
factor is certainly the greatest appeal of this disc. You'll listen in rapt, jaw-dropping
awe; the disc plays like an hour's worth of profound discovery, while the liner notes
assist nicely, giving a descriptive biography of each woman and her individual style. You
walk away from the experience feeling at once schooled and newly in the know to these
chanteuses.
The mood is instantly set as the disc opens with Melody
Gardot and her phenomenal song "Goodnite." Snapping fingers set the beat, with
smooth electric guitar and keyboard scales alongside Gardot's alluring vocals. Madeleine
Peyroux's voice bears striking similarity to Billie Holiday's, and her take on the Leonard
Cohen song "Dance Me to the End of Love" weaves a fairytale-like allure. Sophie
Milman, Hope Waits, Kate Paradise, Jennifer Hartswick, Stacey Kent, Della Griffin and Etta
Jones each make unforgettable contributions as the disc continues. The music backing them
is at times classy lounge sound, other times full-speed fury, just tinged with a touch of
blues -- luxuriant jazz throughout. The result is a flawless collection of female
vocalists, each deserving of further investigation and recognition.
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Various
Artists - Putumayo presents Women of Jazz
