Stacey Kent
is back, with her regular combo, for an engaging tribute to
Richard Rodgers
. In addition to routinely covered songs like
"It Never Entered My Mind"
and
"Bewitched,"
the Britain-based vocalist looks to the
South Pacific
book and comes up with two items seldom performed in a
jazz
context --
"I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair"
"Bali Ha'i."
Happily, these are two of the best cuts; the former, with its burlesque-ish 6/8 middle section, works amazingly well. The sound of the disc is strong, highlighting the nicely varied arrangements and the innate charm of
Kent
's puckish voice. There are a few downsides: a sluggish
"Thou Swell,"
an aimless
bossa nova
reading of
"It Might as Well Be Spring,"
and a general overabundance of
ballads
. But swinging tracks like
"This Can't Be Love"
"My Heart Stood Still"
(the latter spiced with tasty chord substitutions) make up for the lukewarm spots. ~ David R. Adler