Lulled By Lola (music Thoughts: Lola Haag, Love Notes

Lola Haag has a new album, titled
Love Notes." It seems to be her fifth album, and believe it or not, I think I have most if not all of them. And don't ask me how I got them, probably from perusing jazz vocal bins. Looking at her website ,  she seems to be based in Ojai, California.  Haag has a breathy but full voice, a little on the bland side, but she uses it well. Once she starts singing, you can't help but keep on listening. And she definitely has great taste - her previous albums included tributes to Sarah Vaughan and Billie Hollday. Her sound veers more jazz - on this album, most of the arrangements have a light swing to it, and chestnuts like "Just In Time," and "the Very Thought Of You" sound well enough. There's an interesting lilt in "Moonlight Becomes You." but all in all, it suffers from being too familiar, and lounge-y. While it's okay if you were at a Holiday Inn on a business trip, as an aural experience it just lacks that certain oomph to catch your attention.  And there are some tracks with pitch problems. So while I have to give her an A+ for effort, all in all it just passes.

Getting To Know Kelli (Music Thoughts: The King & I 2015 Broadway Cast Recording)

"The King & I" won a couple of awards Sunday night at The Tony Awards, and it inspired me to listen to its recently released cast recording. This score is one I know in and out, one of my earliest memories of listening to cast recordings. (I think I was more acquainted with the film soundtrack, though, before I first heard the 1951 Cast Recording) I am not even going to compare this to previous recordings, as I am one of those purists who almost always prefer original casts. So I will take this recording as it is - a representation of the current Lincoln Center revival now playing at The Vivian Beaumont. And what a glorious recording of a glorious score. there is such profound richness in Richard Rodgers' music, and Oscar Hammerstein's lyrics still resonate and make me think. And if there's only one reason for this recording to exist, it is to preserve Kelli O Hara's Tony award winning performance. She is as close to perfection here: that soaring soprano, and you can see her go through vulnerability, hurt, and strength all in one sitting. She is joyous, luminous in "Getting To Know You," and in Anna's dramatic soliloquy, "Shall I Tell Him What I Think Of Him," she is defiant, a pillar of her principles.  A lot of people have complained about Ken Watanabe's diction, but here on the recording, his accent (he learned the role phonetically) just enhances his charming take as The King. Ruth Ann Miles is also great here, and you can see why she won a Tony as well. To my ears, the orchestra is a bit thinner, but nowadays, what isn't? I will proudly file this recordings with previous Kings and Annas.

There Is No One Like A Dame (Music Thoughts: Hello Like Before, Dame Shirley Bassey)

Dame Shirley Bassey has a new album. Well, it's new-ish, as it came out late last year but I am just getting a chance to write about it now. Can you believe she has been in the business for sixty years? Her 36th album, "Hello Like Before," shows that she is still ins trong voice: it's still big, brassy, and the Bassey voice that we have all grown to love after all these years. The album itself is an incoherent mix, with tracks from all over the place. There are re-recordings of previous Bassey hits - she does "Goldfinger" again because she claims three were a coupel of bum notes from her original version. Yet to my ears it sounds exactly the same. She duets with Paloma Faith on a fun "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend." and it sounds funky and modern. But, my favorite tracks are the more reflective ones: her life and experience shine through on melancholy tracks like "Here's To Life," "It Was A Very Good year," and the slowed down "Hello Like Before."  There's some quiet dramatic and realistic readings in there, and those are what I related to the most.

Amy, Amen (Music Thoughts: Amy Grant, Be Still And Know: Hymns & Faith)

I am shocked. Shocked, I tell you. One of my most favorite albums right now is from a genre that I would never associate with myself: Christian music. The album that I am digging right now? Amy Grant's "Be Still And Know: Hymns & Faith." of course, I shouldn't (and really don't) discriminate: a good song is a good song; wonderful music is wonderful music. A lot of people - including myself - probably only know Grant from her pop days from the 90s. But she has been singing Christian music way before that, and is something of an icon in those circles. One can see why - you can tell that she is in her groove singing these songs, as she infuses herself so immensely in them, that you feel that she feels every word, and every nuance is apt, every breath measured. My favorite tracks? "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee," and "'Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesus."  I somehow can overlook the overly religious and self-righteous messages of these songs, and just listen to the wonderful melody, and Grant's great voice interpreting them. And "El Shaddai" always slays me. I read on Amazon that apparently that this album is a compilation from previous albums, and has been marketed somewhat misleadingly. (uh-oh, that's not very Christian) For someone who does not have this discography, this is a perfect starter for her non-secular music.  And if it converts you t  Christianity, I am sure they will like that, too!

The Ache In Her Song (Music Thoughts: It Had To Be You, Isabella Lundgren)

Isabella Lundgren is from Karstad, Sweden but studied music in New York City. At the age of twenty three she moved back to her native country and released "It Had To Be You," her first album. It is wonderful. At a young age, you can tell that she knows and understands the intricacies of songs from The Great American Songbook. I love her "Don't Ever Leave Me," as she infuses it with much longing. Her voice reminds me of a less harsh version of Stacey Kent, and it is wondrous. I couldn't help but feel her soul as she sings, like in "You Belong To Me," she gave me yearning, vulnerability, passion. Though in bluesy numbers like "Blues In The Night," you can sense her greenness, she always soars in the ballads. (I had "if I Should Lose You" in repeat for an hour and did not tire of it) She is one of those singers who can convey angst in her singing, reminiscent of Billie Holiday and Edith Piaf, and I am always a sucker for those. She can even make an ubiquitous song like "La Vie En Rose" sound like you are hearing it for the first time. I know at times I can be jaded when it comes to jazz vocals, but I am smitten by Isabella.