The ninth solo album by Janis Siegel -- an accomplished leader who is nevertheless most famous for her membership in the vocal jazz quartet Manhattan Transfer -- is something that you almost certainly never saw coming: a collection of modern pop songs arranged in an assortment of Latin styles. Gimmicky? Willfully bizarre? Amazingly enough, it's neither. Siegel's strong, supple voice and her consummate taste allow her to bring something new and often subtly complex to every song, without indulging in unnecessary weirdness. Granted, her gifts aren't always sufficient to redeem mediocre material: Björk's "Hidden Place" gives her very little melodic substance to work with, and it makes for an unpromising opening track. But her take on Nellie McKay's "The Suitcase Song" is much more exciting, and the multi-layered Cuban percussion on "I Can't Help It" is brilliant. Even better is the Colombian harp solo on her rendition of Suzanne Vega's "Caramel," and the multi-tracked background vocals on her arrangement of Paul Simon's "Love" are breathtaking. There are many more such moments on this exceptionally fine album. Strongly recommended to jazz and pop fans alike. by Rick Anderson
Tracklist:
1 Hidden Place 7:42
Guy Sigsworth
2 The Suitcase Song 3:40
Nellie Marie McKay
3 I Can't Help It 6:01
Stevie Wonder
4 Caramel 5:31
Suzanne Vega
5 A Thousand Beautiful Things 8:04
Ann Lennox
6 A Wish (Valentine) 4:35
Fred Hersch / Norma Winstone
7 Love 5:52
Paul Simon
8 Make It Better 4:59
Raul Midón
9 ...Till Then 1:41
Danilo Pérez
10 Sweet Is the Air 4:38
Dave Noble
11 Reflecting Light 4:01
Leslie A. Phillips
12 Did You See the Moon Tonight? 3:15
Erin "Eddy" Moran
Credits:
Acoustic Bass – John Benitez (tracks: 1, 3 to 5, 10)
Arranged By [Songs] – Edsel Gomez
Arranged By [Vocals] – Janis Siegel
Art Direction, Design – Kim Sonsky
Backing Vocals – Marlon Saunders (tracks: 1 to 3, 5, 7, 8)
Drums – Luisito Quintero (tracks: 8), Steve Hass (tracks: 1 to 5, 7, 10)
Electric Bass [Electric 6-string] – John Benitez (tracks: 2, 7, 8)
Flugelhorn – Brian Lynch (tracks: 10)
Harp [Colombian] – Edmar Castaneda (tracks: 1, 4 to 6, 11)
Percussion – Luisito Quintero (tracks: 1 to 5, 7, 8, 10, 11)
Piano – Edsel Gomez (tracks: 1 to 5, 7, 8, 10, 12)
Trumpet – Brian Lynch (tracks: 3)
Vocals – Janis Siegel
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