STACEY KENT - Dreamsville (2000) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Vocalist Stacey Kent may or may not be "the greatest ballad singer in half a century," as her PR claims, but her straightforward renditions of these by-request ballads are not at all generic. What makes them consistently delightful is her unique sound and delivery. There's a certain brassiness, a trumpet-like pointedness, in her voice, as well as a host of endearing idiosyncrasies. Listen to her pronounce the word "idea" in George and Ira Gershwin's "Isn't It a Pity?" Or deliver these remarkable lyrics from the same song: "What joys untasted!/You, reading Heine/Me, somewhere in China." And later, "My nights were sour, spent with Schopenhauer." Kent knows how to make every tune fit her own musical persona. Dreamsville includes a number of seldom-heard gems, particularly "You Are There" by Johnny Mandel and Dave Frishberg, "You're Looking at Me" by Bobby Troup, and the ever-stunning title track by Henry Mancini. She also presents perennial favorites like "Polka Dots and Moonbeams" and "Thanks for the Memory" (the latter not exactly a ballad). And although this is Kent's hour all the way, her band provides expert backing and more than a few surprises. The singer's husband, Jim Tomlinson, takes a break from tenor sax to play a sumptuous clarinet solo on "Polka Dots." And in the midst of Rodgers & Hart's "Little Girl Blue," pianist David Newton, bassist Simon Thorpe, and drummer Jasper Kviberg fall away, entering again only after Tomlinson and Colin Oxley perform a hushed tenor/guitar duet chorus. by David R. Adler  
Tracklist :
1    I've Got A Crush On You 4:50
Composed By – George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin
2    When Your Lover Has Gone 4:40
Composed By – Aaron E. Swan
3    Isn't It A Pity? 5:39
Composed By – George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin
4    You Are There 2:29
Composed By – Dave Frishberg, Johnny Mandel
5    Under A Blanket Of Blue 4:11
Composed By – Al J. Neiburg, Jerry Livingston, Marty Symes
6    Dreamsville 5:31
Composed By – Henry Mancini, Jay Livingston, Ray Evans
7    Polka Dots & Moonbeams 4:39
Composed By – James Van Heusen, Johnny Burke
8    Hushabye Mountain 2:45
Composed By – Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman
9    Little Girl Blue 5:41
Composed By – Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart
10    You're Looking At Me 4:38
Composed By – Bobby Troup
11    Violets For Your Furs 5:48
Composed By – Matt Dennis, Tom Adair
12    Thanks For The Memory 4:11
Composed By – Leo Robin, Ralph Rainger
Credits :
Bass – Simon Thorpe
Drums – Jasper Kviberg
Guitar – Colin Oxley
Piano – David Newton
Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute – Jim Tomlinson
Vocals – Stacey Kent