On her third self-released album,
Suzy Bogguss
, one of the finest female vocalists living and working in Nashville, allows one of her many passions to come to the surface on
Swing
. With
Asleep at the Wheel
's
Ray Benson
in the producer's chair,
Bogguss
kicks out 12 classy
pop
,
jazz
, and
swing
tunes with a smoking band making a timeless sound.
Benson
knows the feel of this music inside and out (and brought his violin player, the
Stephane Grappelli
-inspired
Jason Roberts
, along for the ride), and
, whose mom is a big
Sinatra
and
Ella Fitzgerald
fan, can sing virtually anything -- but has a special affinity for the
book -- with a twist. There are nuggets of the repertoire here, such as
Nat King Cole
"Straighten Up and Fly Right"
Duke Ellington
"Do Nothing 'Til You Hear From Me"
as well as
"Comes Love"
-- closely associated with
Billie Holiday
-- and the great
Ken Burgan
tune
"Sweetheart."
But there's plenty of new material, too; there are five cuts by Nashville songwriter and
singer
April Barrows
, who writes in the
idiom with smart, modern lyrics; inventive melodies; and a wondrous sense of rhythm.
and husband and songwriter
Doug Crider
contributed one and
Paul Kramer
offered a pair. The jump in these tunes is fresh and new; there are no tired
Diana Krall
readings of the same old tunes here that had been better-recorded long before. The feel is jumping and smooth, such as on
"Burning the Toast"
by
Barrows
, in cut time with
Roberts
and pianist
Floyd Domino
floating with clarinetist
John H.R. Mills
against a popping double-bassline by
Spencer Starnes
's guitar. Recorded in Austin, TX,
feels loose, fancy free, and focused on exploration, bringing the essence of a song out into the idiom in which it was written.
"It's New to Me"
Crider
Kramer
has a bluesy truth to it that is underscored by sax and clarinet wafting so warm from the fringes as
Domino
's right hand fills and comps slip in between lyric and horn arrangement to make the track just shine. The duet with
"Cupid Shot Us Both With One Arrow,"
features
doing the
gypsy swing
thing with passion and fervor, yet never takes away the sprightly tempoed tune form the singers. In all,
is the strongest
record ever -- yes, ever. This is not a
novelty
record, not some trendy acclimation to the times, but a way of revealing, as she has, the depth and dimension of her artistry in a new way. Hopefully there are some triple-A
Americana
radio programmers out there -- as well as a few visionary public-radio DJs -- who will play this slab once or twice. That's all it will take. This is the most elegant
pop-jazz
record of the year thus far, and it will be tough to beat.
will only delight
' legion of time-honored fans and win her plenty of new ones as well. ~ Thom Jurek