|
|
|
Tweet this article !
(See Publisher's note at bottom of article for special giveaway) Grab your mink and don your top hat, we’re off to the Coconut Grove or some glamorous boite of yesteryear. The age of the sumptuous supperclub is back in business if the lush song stylings of Elena Bennett are any indication! Elena, where, oh where, have you been? Like some crazy mixture of Judy Garland, Peggy Lee, Lena Horne and any number of other uber-divas, she knocks each and every song on this stellar collection right out of the ball park! Although there are hints of influences from a varied number of other singers in her rich, vibrant and entrancing voice, the end result is a powerful personality and way with a tune that is firmly her very own.
Of course is doesn’t hurt in the slightest that she is backed by the swinging, swaying and down-right sassy sounds of the marvelous Fred Barton and his orchestra. Mr. Barton’s inventive and seductive arrangements wrap Ms. Bennett’s thrilling trilling in a soft, comfortable blanket of sound without ever intruding on the main attraction, cushioning instead of clawing for attention! This recording has already found a permanent home on my frequent listen list, and it’s difficult to pick one track that grabs me more than another. The album opens with a playful and downright attention-demanding version of “The Lady from 29 Palms,” and ends with a tender and thoughtful blending of “The Way You Look Tonight” and “My Foolish Heart.”
In between, there are several gems to be found including “Shake Down The Stars,” “The Song is You,” an exquisite take on “I’ll Tell the Man in the Street” (which I have always considered the exclusive property of Ms. Streisand) and an entirely different reading of the classic “At Last,” with the rarely-heard introduction. To top it all off, the cover art is by legendary caricaturist Robert Risko! I look greatly forward to catching Ms. Bennett live and in person and to whatever she cooks up next. BRAVA ELENA!
| < Prev |
|---|
