(Blue Note/EMI)

Jazz vocalist turns to the classic songbook

Cassandra Wilson has enjoyed a richly diverse career as a jazz vocalist, from her experiments with musical collective M-Base (who combined the improv aesthetic of Charlie Parker and John Coltrane with soul/funk/African influences and beyond) to her own highly respected back catalogue of solo original compositions and performances. Her latest album Loverly is a more nostalgic look back, as Wilson applies her honeyed alto voice to a diverse range of jazz, blues and show tune standards. She reinvents Eliza Doolitte’s signature tune from My Fair Lady, Wouldn’t It Be Loverly, transforming Lerner & Loewe’s mockney showstopper into a sophisticated slice of late-nite jazz. There are similarly breezy and smooth reinventions of everything from Duke Ellington’s Caravan to blues standard Dust My Broom. And while it’s a mostly acoustic record, Wilson’s smoky voice paired with a crisp backdrop of piano, guitar, double bass and brush drums, there’s also some electrified funk in St James Infirmary. Whatever Wilson tries, she hits the target every time.

***½

MATT THROWER

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