EMILIE-CLAIRE BARLOW — Like a Lover (2005) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 

When one is analyzing jazz or jazz-influenced pop, it is important to know the difference between sweet and saccharine. Lester Young, Jo Stafford, Stan Getz, Chet Baker, Nat King Cole, the Ink Spots, and Glenn Miller were quite capable of sweetness; Kenny G, Najee, and Dave Koz, on the other hand, have often epitomized saccharine -- they are masters of artificial sweetness. So where does Emilie-Claire Barlow fit in? The Canadian jazz vocalist is definitely sweet -- very sweet -- but there isn't a trace of saccharine on Like a Lover. Barlow brings an enjoyably girlish charm to this self-produced bop CD, although she isn't a girl. Born in 1976, she was in her late twenties when Like a Lover came out in 2005 -- and for Barlow, girlish doesn't mean wimpy, thin-voiced, or unswinging. Barlow has an impressive vocal range, and she definitely swings -- she swings whether she is favoring high-speed exuberance on Bob Dorough's "(I've Got) Just About Everything I Need" or getting into ballad mode on "Blame It on My Youth" and George Gershwin's "Someone to Watch Over Me." She swings whether she is singing in English (her primary language) or detouring into Portuguese on Antonio Carlos Jobim's "So Danço Samba." If Like a Lover has any real weakness, it is the fact that Barlow is much too standards-minded; she picks too many warhorses that have been beaten to death over the years. That isn't to say that Barlow should avoid standards altogether -- only that she needs to find more great songs that haven't been recorded so often. The more Barlow broadens her repertoire, the more she will stand out in the crowded field of jazz singing. But while Like a Lover could have been more adventurous in its choice of material, it's still a likable and pleasing effort from the Toronto-born improviser. Alex Henderson 

Tracklist:

1 Like A Lover 5:28

Music By, Lyrics By – Alan & Marilyn Bergman, Dorival T. Caymmi, Nelson Motta

2 On The Sunny Side Of The Street 6:45

Music By, Lyrics By – Jimmy McHugh & Dorothy Fields

3 Someone To Watch Over Me 4:52

Music By, Lyrics By – George & Ira Gershwin

4 A Time For Love 5:13

Music By, Lyrics By – Johnny Mandel, Paul Francis Webster

5 So Danço Samba 4:44

Music By, Lyrics By – Antonio Carlos Jobim, Vinicius De Moraes

Tenor Saxophone – John Johnson 

6 The Things We Did Last Summer 5:01

Music By, Lyrics By – Jule Styne, Sammy Cahn

Vocalese – Emilie-Claire Barlow

7 (I've Got) Just About Everything I Need 4:18

Music By, Lyrics By – Bob Dorough

8 Retrato Em Branco E Preto 5:11

Music By, Lyrics By – Antonio Carlos Jobim, Francisco Buarque De Hollanda

9 Our Love Is Here To Stay 4:57

Music By, Lyrics By – George & Ira Gershwin

10 Blame It On My Youth 

Music By, Lyrics By – Edward Heyman, Oscar Levant

11 As Long As I Live 2:57

Guitar – Justin Abedin

Music By, Lyrics By – Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler

Producer, Keyboards, Programmed By – Daniel Leblanc

12 Like A Lover (Remix) 4:01

Music By, Lyrics By – Alan & Marilyn Bergman, Dorival T. Caymmi, Nelson Motta

Credits :

Bass – Mark Rogers

Drums – Mark Kelso

Flugelhorn – Guido Basso

Guitar – Rob Piltch

Producer, Arranged By, Voice, Piano, Percussion, Mixed By – Emilie-Claire Barlow

Tenor Saxophone – Kelly Jefferson (tracks: 2, 7)