Talk Of The Town

Krall and Monheit just don't do it for me any more, and all of the Eva Cassidy-inspired eclectics take me too far away from the best of the American Songbook and the "beat" that only first-rate rhythm sections can provide. I could remain perfectly content in my Ella-Billie time capsule, I suppose, but one hopes for some occasional affirmation of the present moment, not to mention hope for my new granddaughter.Enter Cheryl Bentyne, an unforced, unproduced, and "natural" musician who's got the best of the repertory in her pocket and, rhythmically, is always right "in the pocket."At first, Cheryl's voice is likely to strike a casual listener as "plain" and just unsexy. No Krall sultriness or Monheit melodrama--hers is a voice devoid of breathiness and emotive, coloratura effects. In fact, a great deal of its charm is its refusal to change its identity from the ensemble sound so essential to her effectiveness as a member of Manhattan Transfer. I'm getting no sense of "attitude," no heightening of lyric drama, no unwarranted projection of the "big" notes. This is singing that's as transparent and unaffected as it gets--and also as competent.I'm tempted to add that Bentyne lets the songs themselves do all the talking for her. But listen to the Sinatra phrasing on "Everything Happens to Me." And dig that nanosecond of vibrato, or spinning little shake--and not just on "Farmer's Market"--at the ends of her phrases. (Did Annie Ross possibly teach that?) And it should not go unsaid that this is a singer who, like Sarah, doesn't require scat. Her melodically-altered second choruses (especially on "Get Out of Town") are a marvel of invention in themselves.The Kenny Barron-led rhythm section is, as usual, flawless, though the inclusion of Take 6 was for this listener gratuitous if not distracting.

Everything glowing that other reviewers have said about this performance is mostly true. I would have given it 5 stars if not for a problem with the recording, and it's a bad enough problem that I hesitate giving it even 3 stars. It's her vocals, which are obviously the centerpiece of the disc.Don't get me wrong - she sings these songs wonderfully. But the recording of her voice is problematic. It buzzes very slightly, particularly when she puts a little oomph into it or reaches for the higher register notes. It's not hugely distorted, but it's enough to catch your ear and make you wonder if you're really hearing what you think you're hearing. The effect is comparable to making her voice just a little bit fuzzy around the edges and stands in stark and striking contrast to the finely detailed recording of the accompanying musicians. On my first listening, I was afraid the problem was in my equipment, that my home listening room speakers had been damaged somehow. Now, after hearing the disc on my car stereo, and through several different pairs of earphones and headphones, I've come to the conclusion the problem is the recording and not my system.This is especially frustrating when everything else about the disc is great, and frankly it's incomprehensible coming from Telarc. I'd send the disc back for an exchange, but I can't imagine it could be a problem with my particular copy, or even any batch or run of discs. But I could be wrong. If anyone else has had this problem, or if they have the disc and can say without question that their copy does *not* suffer from this effect, please let me know. For reference, I've found it to be most readily audible in "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To" and "These Foolish Things," though it's there for the most part throughout the disc.

Ok, I have to admit that I bought this CD only because my daughter had recently participated in a jazz concert at her high school with Cheryl Bentyne. I thought it would be fun to have a CD by someone that my daughter had performed with. It is not only fun to know that, but the CD is a pleasure to listen to as well!

Cheryl Bentyne is simply the best. She is the best of so many elements of female jazz singers in one great package. She is quite simply the best and this album seems to show that so well!!

I just didn't care for this album. Ms. Bentyne seems to be trying too hard to be sexy, and misses the soul inherent in these songs. But that's just me obviously.

Smooth transaction. Product as described.

Beautiful voice.must buy more of her solo work

Beautiful lady, beautiful voice, and great songs. I am, currently, exploring her other solo material. Of course, I have always loved Manhatten Transfer.